Eternal Fates
by Lillian Amelia Lund
Summary: The Kingdom of Sirene vs. the combined forces of Nohr, Hoshido, and Valla. A few of the warriors from the losing side are given another chance at life, with the promise of revenge in store. Though their new lives aren't exactly as they may have expected, they will try their best to defeat the Heroes who bested them in battle once already. (OCs accepted. See inside for details.)
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

* * *

 _Was this how it would end?_

I crawled across the mounds of leftover corpses as I mentally prepared myself to join them in their slumber. Between the arrow in my leg, the stab wound in my stomach, and the axe buried in my shoulder I wasn't optimistic about my odds. The battle had been fierce and I'd done my best…but to no avail. It was over and the "Heroes" were no doubt on their way home to celebrate the brand new "Peace" they had ushered in, meanwhile, myself and others like me tried in vain to survive just a few extra minutes as we feared what would come after death: Would the gods be merciful, or would they condemn us? The least comforting thought being the possibility that the gods didn't exist at all and we would wind up spending eternity in a void where time meant nothing.

I coughed and wretched as I continued forward, hoping beyond hope that I could somehow live through this and exact justice on the orchestrators of this awful massacre. The smell of blood and steel was overwhelming, making me feel light headed and nauseated, or was that just my loss of blood's doing? It was impossible to tell at this point but it mattered not. I needed to keep moving because if I stopped to rest then I knew Death would collect me just as he'd done with the rest of my comrades.

 _Just a little further and I'll be okay._

That's what I kept telling myself even if I didn't believe it in the slightest; there was no chance of me being remotely okay on my own…not in the state I was in. My pace began to slow and I knew my time would be soon as my vision blacked out on the edges. I stopped my advance…it was futile and I knew it.

My thoughts drifted to my loved ones and all those that I would see once more if Death was kind to me. My parents, my sister, my baby brother. I'd felt empty ever since the day they'd been…since they died, but now I would have the chance to see them again and reconcile my wrongs with them. I smiled at the thought of seeing their faces and hearing their voices once more, assuming they wanted anything to do with me when I got there. My smile twisted into one of bitterness.

"Well, well, well. What a marvelous landscape I've been gifted with." A voice spoke from somewhere to my right. The speaker was male and seemed to be speaking with a strange lilt to his voice. A foreigner perhaps? "Let's see what I can see across this sea of cadavers."

I turned my head with the last ounce of strength I possessed in order to spot this mystery man. I could just barely make out a white blur through my tunnel vision. There was only one figure as far as I could tell so I assumed he must have been talking to himself. He crouched down.

"Nope, no good, absolutely not! This simply will not do." A heavy sigh. "I suppose I'll have to…"

He stopped mid-sentence and slowly stood back up. He was looking for…something it seemed. Heaven knows what kind of man would be looking for anything in a bloodied battlefield.

"I see." He said simply, letting out a small chuckle. "That will do just fine then."

Before I could begin wondering about his statement, I was hoisted upward like a puppet on its strings. My vision returned to normal and the pain of my wounds faded to a dull buzz. I could see the man more clearly now, though he was still rather far away and with his back turned towards me. In the distance I spotted several other individuals strung up similarly to myself.

"Well now, aren't you all just the bravest souls around? I'm rather surprised that many of you lasted for as long as you did." He clapped loudly. "Don't be shy now, come a bit closer, won't you?"

Without telling them to do so my legs moved forward, taking me closer to the enigma of a man before me. It seemed the others were doing the same.

I could see him up close and personal now, not that it helped me identify him. He wore a smooth white mask on his face, its only features being a long, wide grin and two arching crescent moon shapes where his eyes would have been making for a rather mischievous look altogether. He wore a well-tailored suit that was all white in color and wide brimmed hat on his head that was the same color as the rest of his attire. The only splash of color to his ensemble was the dark red that adorned his shoes and the hems of his pant-legs.

"There we go, it feels a bit more personal and important this way, don't you think?" None of us had the strength or wits about us to reply. "Tough crowd, hm? No matter! I will speak and you will listen. As you are no doubt aware, your kingdom lies in shambles, your King has been executed and things look generally bleak for you lot; especially those of you with mortal wounds, which includes…all of you." He paused for a moment. "I, however, offer you an alternative to death, though do not mistake it for life. Think of yourselves as being more like a…a phantom, or a revenant perhaps.

"Of course, these bodies you have now are no good; they've been virtually destroyed inside and out. But fret not, for I will make you new ones, thus giving you a new identity and a new lot in life."

He watched us, gauging our near-death expressions for any sign of comprehension or understanding, and I suppose he found it as he proceeded to clap loudly and chuckle.

"Very good. I see what they call 'hope' shining in your eyes. Hope for a new tomorrow. Hope that you will live. Hope that your loved ones can be saved. Hope…that you can pass judgement on those who left you in such a sorry state. And it is exactly that hope that I wish to nurture, to grow, so that you may achieve those things you so desperately hope for." He snapped his fingers I was dropped from my invisible strings and back into the muck of the battlefield. My vision began to grow darker and I could no longer feel my body. "Worry not what your lot will be, for I know that you can handle it and that you will come out conqueror."

Those words were the last things I heard before being sucked into a tight and all-encompassing blackness that I could only assume was the great void we call death.

But one should never assume.

* * *

I shot up in my bed, a cold sweat trickling over my body. I clutched my chest in an attempt to slow my rapidly beating heart. I'd just had a dream, hadn't I? But what had it been about? I couldn't quite recall all the details but there was a man in white, a bloody field of corpses, pain that had felt all too real, and a hope tinged with despair. The man in white had said some things but it was all too fuzzy for me to remember, and with each passing minute the dream seemed to fade further and further into the depths of my memory. I closed my eyes, rubbed my temples and tried to think harder; tried to glean anything I could from what remained in my mind of the dream, but no matter how hard I tried, nothing else came.

I sighed, opening my eyes and looking around my room at the stone walls, the bedside table, and the rug in the center of the floor. And although it felt like I should know this room it just felt unfamiliar to me. I shook it off as a result of the weird dream.

The room was dark and I could see stars outside so it was definitely still nighttime. I laid back down on my pillow and tried to go back to sleep, and sleep took me quickly. But as I drifted off into dream land, I thought I heard the voice of the man in white speaking from my bedside.

"Hmm, a little too rough, I suppose. But what will it matter in the end?" His voice trailed off into the distance as the comfortable warmth of sleep enveloped me once again.

* * *

When I next awoke it was to the shining sun and the chirping of birds. A welcome awakening. I sat up, rubbed my eyes, and stretched as I prepared for my day. First on the list was…was what? I was sure something was planned for today. My eyebrows furrowed for a moment as I thought harder about it. I hopped out of bed, my bare feet connecting with the cool stone floor of my room. I glanced absentmindedly into the mirror on my bedside table and suddenly everything clicked into place. There was a woman in the mirror that I had never seen before, that much I was certain of. She had a slim and pale face, a dainty nose, and long dark purple hair that matched oddly well with her green eyes.

I touched my face and the woman did the same, bearing the same look of shock on her face that I did. It became very clear very quickly that I was this woman I saw, but the major problem I had with that was the fact that I knew I wasn't a woman. Last I knew I'd been a man.

I stumbled back as this realization caused last night's dream to flow back in full force. The man in white had promised a new body and it seemed he had meant it quite literally. I sat on the edge of the bed as mind raced trying to connect all the dots and make sense of this situation I was in. Putting my head in my hands I sat…and sat…and sat…

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Edit: I'm sorry, I'm an idiot. I've just modified the OC template to include the character's personality. I don't know how I managed to forget about that.**

 **First chapter of a new story that I really shouldn't be starting! Aren't you guys proud of me? Because you shouldn't be. In any case, this fanfic is going to take place in the world of FE: Fates with the same characters and all, but it takes place after the events of said game. Meaning that (SPOILERS) there's peace between Hoshido, Nohr, and Valla currently. To explain though, the main character's kingdom that was decimated is a currently unnamed kingdom further to the west.**

 **Now, early in the chapter, the man in white speaks to several individuals including MC. Five others to be exact. And I'd like those five to be OCs from you guys, and if you'd care to submit one I'd be really happy. Please send OCs through PM though. NO OCS THROUGH REVIEW PLEASE! It's just harder to do that way. Anyway, the template is as follows:**

 **Name:**

 **Age:**

 **Gender:**

 **Sexual Orientation:**

 **Appearance: (This includes their outfit as well)**

 **Personality:**

 **Backstory: (I don't want everyone's backstory to be tragic and sappy, m'kay? Also, be detailed if you can)**

 **Class: (Myrmidon, Archer, Fighter, etc. etc. And any class from any fire emblem game is fair)**

 **Romance?: (Would you like your OC to have a romantic relationship in the story? And if so, any preferences? Keep in mind though that some characters from the games will already be taken by default. I'll try to be accommodating though)**

 **Alignment: (Good, Evil, Neutral, or anywhere in between)**

 **Loyalty: (Are they loyal to Hoshido, Nohr, Valla, the fallen kingdom, or are they loyal to no one at all?)**

 **Other: (Anything else you think I should know about your character in order to properly portray them)**

 **That does it for the template, but I do have another favor to ask. I haven't officially chosen a class for MC, so if you guys have any suggestions I'd much appreciate it.**

 **Welp, thank for reading and giving my story the time of day. And I hope you'll continue to read more of it. ^^**

 **Farvel!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

* * *

I simply sat and pondered my situation for quite some time. It was clear to me what had happened, but I couldn't possibly believe or accept it all as truth. It was outlandish and fantastical, like something you might find in a children's fairytale. But regardless of that, I had to accept the fact that I had brushed close to death and yet was saved and given the form of a woman to live in.

I stood up from my bed and decided I should at least find out where I was, for even though this room seemed very familiar to me, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't remember where I knew it from. It made me uneasy.

I rose from my seat on the edge of the bed and glanced around the room; it was pretty bare, with only the bed and the bedside table my mirror sat on. I noticed the table had a small drawer in it an my curiosity was piqued; I opened the drawer and found a set of neatly folded clothes inside, and looking down at myself and the raggedy nightgown I wore, I was grateful for something else to wear. I pulled the clothes out of the drawer and laid them out on the bed before pulling off the nightgown. It was strange seeing my now female body and it was honestly a bit discomforting just how different I was now. I shook off my discomfort and began to dress myself in the outfit that I'd found; it was a rather nice outfit to be sure, consisting of light brown leggings, a white button-down shirt, a deep blue vest, knee-high leather boots, and leather gauntlets. All of it seemed to be well tailored and I could only imagine how much it must have cost to obtain the whole set.

Once I was finished changing, my thoughts turned back to my meeting with the man in white, and more specifically to the others who had been given the same deal as me; were they in a similar state? I hadn't been able to make out who they were or if I'd known them personally, but if they'd been changed as much as I had then there wasn't much chance of me recognizing them now. I'd have to figure out a way to find and contact them at some point, but for now I would be better off leaving my room and seeing what where I was.

I walked to the door, my boots clicking on the stone floor, and just as I was about to grasp the handle…I stopped. It felt unreal. It felt like as soon as I stepped outside this room I would wake up to find myself safely at home in my own bed and I would remember all of this as no more than a fleeting dream to be quickly forgotten. I gulped and slowly turned the handle of the door, pushing it open tentatively and stepping outside the room…nothing happened. I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding as I, now more confidently, walked down the hallway beyond the door. Curiously, the hallway ended with another door, and seeing no reason to hesitate this time, I opened the door and found myself…outside? I stepped out, breathing in the fresh air and feeling the warm sunlight.

Confused, I turned around to look at the door I'd just come through only to find it completely gone as if it had disappeared into thin air. I turned in circles, checking my surroundings just to make sure it was actually gone but no matter where I looked I couldn't see anything that remotely resembled the shelter I'd just left. In fact, there was nothing around except for a few trees.

Figuring I didn't have much of an option, I started off in a random direction an hoped I would find something soon. Before I got very far however, I heard a voice.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" I whipped around to see the man in white staring up at the sky. "The sun. So warm…so bright. Don't you think so too?"

"I…I suppose so?" I mean, he wasn't wrong about the sun after all. Even so, I couldn't be sure why that was his conversation starter.

He nodded. "It's rather like Corrin and Kamui, isn't it? So radiant and powerful! Majestic even!" He twirled around and faced me, giving me a clear look at his unnerving mask.

I felt my eyes narrowing and my lips curving into a snarl at the mention of the Valla's royal twins. If it hadn't been for their military prowess and strategic genius then my homeland of Sirene would never have fallen to the rest of those bumbling idiots.

"Why bring up those two?" I snapped. "Why are you here? And while I'm at it, why did you save my life in the first place?" He let out a low chuckle and adjusted his hat.

"Weell, seems I've struck a nerve, have I? I'll cut to the chase then, I want those two dead just as much as you do, which is also the reason I saved you. I needed an ally who could be committed to this cause just as fully as I am. And unfortunately, the others who survived the war…well, only one or two are in any condition to be walking around with civilized society right now…" He trailed off, staring quietly. If I could have seen his face then it would have been so much easier to figure out what he was thinking.

"Okay. But that still doesn't answer why you're here." I glanced around. "As an afterthought, where is here?"

"Isn't it obvious? We're in Hoshido! I thought you would have known simply by how much sunlight there is. After all, it's pretty dark and dreary in those western countries." I opened my mouth to remind him that my question _still_ hadn't been answered but he shushed me with his finger. "I'm here to give you some presents! Isn't that exciting?" He started shaking in…excitement, I could only assume.

"Ahem. Right. Well, um, yay?" I wasn't quite sure how to respond to this man in any given situation.

The man sighed heavily. "You're gonna have to work on your acting skills. Regardless, I do have some gifts for you."

He reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a small black stone that seemed to bend and twist the very air around it.

"This is the first and possibly most important gift. It's been called many names and had many masters over the ages, but its first master was undoubtedly the most important, and I see in you the same potential that he had. Take it."

Hesitantly, I reached out, touching the stone lightly at first but after finding it to be harmless I grabbed it firmly and brought it closer to myself, inspecting it more closely. It was…dark; that was the only word that could describe it. It practically radiated darkness into its surroundings. I continued staring at it, transfixed until the man cleared his throat. Slightly startled, I look back up at him and slipped the stone into my own pocket.

"Second, is a weapon for you. More specifically, a Rapier. At one time, Rapiers were seen as a weapon of nobility and only nobility used them in battle." He held the Rapier out to me as if presenting it in some kind of ceremony. I took it, holding it in one hand to feel the weight.

"Why a Rapier though? Even if it's as you said, I'm no noble. So why give me one?" I eyed him curiously.

"Not a noble? Why, as the last surviving citizen of Sirene, I'd say that puts you next in line for the throne, am I wrong?" He cocked his head coyly to one side.

I just shook my head and fastened the Rapier to my waist. Next in line for the throne? As if. There's not even a throne to be next in line for now. Still, the thought of being king, er…queen, I guess, was pretty appealing.

"And the last gift, a name." He said simply.

"A name?" I asked, confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that you need a new name. One that better fits your new appearance and one that will not be known to the enemy."

"Why are you giving me a name? I could name myself, you know." I crossed my arms.

"Hm, you could, but it was I who gave you life, so shouldn't it be I that names you?" He made a small giggle that I did not expect from him. "I'll take your silence as a yes then, Lillian."

Lillian. Wouldn't have been my first choice, but it wasn't a bad name by any means.

"Now, while we're on the subject of names, what is yours?" I asked.

"Varlent." He answered simply.

Definitely not a name I'd ever heard before, and my gut was telling me it was fabricated too. But did it really matter if it was his real name or not? The man was an enigma either way.

"Now that I've given you your presents, I think it's time I headed off. But worry not, someone is headed in this direction as we speak; they'll be here before long. Ta ta."

He disappeared in a flash of…something. I couldn't rightly call it light as it wasn't something I really saw with my eyes. It was more like my eyes saw him there one moment and gone the next, but my mind knew there had been some kind of flash even if my sight didn't register it. I shook it off and walked over to a nearby tree, sitting down with my back against it as I waited for this person Varlent had claimed was on their way.

As I waited, my thoughts began to wander. Everything seemed so surreal, and in all honesty I should have been freaking out about everything that had happened so far, but I just don't think I had been thinking of it as reality; maybe just as some dream that was bound to end sooner or later. I looked down at my gauntlet covered hands; they were much smaller and slimmer then they'd been before. I wondered if I'd still have the same skill in battle I had in my old body or if I'd have to start all over with my training in order to get used to this body fully. I grabbed a strand of my long hair, knowing I'd have to do something about it; loose hair could be a liability in battle.

Leaning my head against the tree trunk, I stared up at the leaves above me, swaying slightly in the breeze. I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds of nature, a small smile creeping onto my face simply because of how relaxing it was to sit here without a care in the world. It was a feeling I hadn't known since before the war started. All of a sudden, I could hear a new sound: footsteps. My eyes shot open and I shot to my feet. Staring intently in the direction I heard the footsteps from, I drew my Rapier from its place at my waist. Soon I could see the person in question. A man with black hair and a golden headpiece used to cover his right eye. I couldn't tell what his exact age was, but if I were to guess it would've been between late twenties and early thirties. He was wearing the garb of a Sorcerer, and yet I saw no tome in his hands and he certainly had nowhere to hide one. Seeing that he was unarmed, I relaxed and left my weapon at my side.

He seemed to notice me for the first time, despite not being more than a stone's throw away, and halted his advance. He eyed my sword warily.

"It's okay, I have no intention of using it as long as you don't try anything stupid." I put my hands on my hips. "Now, who are you? Where did you come from? And what are you doing here?" Varlent had known this guy was nearby, or at least that he would come this direction, and that meant he intended for us to meet, so I figured I should get things straight between us sooner rather than later.

"I…ah…well, that is to say, um…" He was stumbling over his words as if he was confused by something.

"Calm down, it's fine. We'll just start with one question then. What are you doing here?"

"I'm…searching…for myself, in a manner of speaking." He wouldn't look at me directly, only occasionally glancing at me before staring off to the side.

"Could you elaborate on that?" I pressed.

"I've, well, lost a large portion of my memories, at least I think I have. I-In any case, there's a lot I can't remember about myself, although to answer one of your other questions, I think I come from Nohr given my attire and subsequent skill set."

Amnesia. Perfect. An amnesiac was aaalll I needed today. Whatever, Varlent was expecting us two to meet and that means we could possibly be useful to each other.

"I see. I'm sorry about your amnesia. My name is…Lillian. Do you remember your name by any chance?"

He looked at me this time, and with a smile to boot. "Yes, I do. That was the one thing I did remember after waking up. My name is Iago. It's a pleasure to meet you, Lillian."

I stopped for a moment. A Sorcerer named Iago? That seemed to ring a bell. I felt as though I should know who he was…but nothing was coming to mind. Maybe he was a semi-famous researcher or something.

"I-I see. The pleasure is all mine." The gears in my head turned as an idea popped into my head. "Are you…headed anywhere in particular?"

Iago was surprised by the question and took a moment to think. "I…don't believe so. I'm merely trying to discover my lost past right now." He folded his arms and his eyes suddenly took on a steely quality. "What did you have in mind?"

I smiled. "I was thinking we could travel together for a while. I have a goal I'm working towards, but no way of moving forward with it right now. I feel like if we travel together then maybe it'll be easier for me to move forward and it'll be easier to find out about your past with both of us looking for it."

That steely quality remained as he mulled over my proposition. His eyebrows slowly furrowed until they met in the middle, he was muttering under his breath, and his index finger slowly tapped his other arm.

"The odds of success are certainly in our favor if we work together on either matter, however, there is the chance that you're an enemy taking advantage of my memory loss in order to get close to me for a chance at either stealing something or killing me as I sleep. Theft is unlikely given that I have no possessions on my person, leaving murder as the more likely option in this scenario." He me in the eyes, presumably waiting for my response.

"Right, um, but if I wanted to I could have killed you when I first saw you since you were unarmed and I have a sword."

"True." He stayed quiet for a while longer before speaking again. "I suppose joining up for a while would be acceptable. Can you promise me I can trust you?"

"I promise. Can you do the same though?" I fired back.

"Of course. You can count on me." He smirked and the steely quality in his eyes was gone, leaving a look of genuineness. He put his hand forward towards me for a handshake. I gave him a nod and shook his hand firmly.

It felt nice to have an ally after all the messiness I'd been through, and I'm sure he felt the same.

* * *

 **A/N: Hey, guys! Sorry for the delay! I meant for this chapter to get out much sooner, but then some unexpected things happened meaning I had to pick up extra shifts at work, and in addition I ended up writing and re-writing this chapter several times until I ended up with this version that I feel pretty good about.**

 **I was really excited to add Iago to the mix because he was one of my favorite characters and I was really bummed that he wasn't a playable character no matter which path you took. So there he is! In all his glory! :D**

 **OC submissions are still open right now. See the first chapter for the template, which I'll be making an edit to soon after this chapter is up.**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope you'll continue to read!**

 **Farvel!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

* * *

Iago and I decided our best course of action for the time being was to find some kind of civilization to rest at and then figure out a more definitive plan from there. As we walked, Iago tried to make conversation.

"Do you mind if I ask where you're from?"

"I'm…from a country far away from here. And I'd rather leave it at that for now." Talking about Sirene, which had been viewed as an evil empire, probably wouldn't do me any favors at this point in time.

"Fair enough, I guess. But if you're from so far away, then what brings you all the way out to Hoshido?" He stared at me from the corner of his eye. "You never did tell me what it was you were trying to accomplish."

There was no way I could tell him the truth. I didn't trust him enough for that just yet, but I'd also have to give him the full story of everything that had happened to me up to that point, and frankly I didn't feel like he'd believe very much of it.

"I've just got a grudge, that's all." I answered nonchalantly, immediately biting my lip and hoping he'd buy it. He shrugged his shoulders but didn't say anything else on the matter. "What about you though? I mean, I know you said you can't remember anything, but is there really nothing that you remember?"

He stroked his chin thoughtfully as he looked to be thinking hard about his forgotten memories. "Come to think of it, I do recall one tiny detail. A name. Kamui, I think."

My eyes widened and I stopped walking. It took Iago a moment to notice I'd stopped, when he did he turned around and gave me a curious look.

"Kamui…as in the Queen of Valla?" I asked slowly, my fists clenching.

"Perhaps. I can't be quite sure it's her, but the name Kamui isn't very common." His brow furrowed. "And...I couldn't tell you why, but when I think of that name, I feel this…unquenchable, seething anger start bubbling to the surface."

Did he have something against the royal twins as well? Or was I just jumping to conclusions? For all I knew the Kamui he used to know could have been some random person in a tiny village or something. It didn't have to be the Vallite queen. Somehow though, I just knew it had to be. Iago and I meeting had to have been Varlent's doing, I was sure of it now. Varlent had a vendetta against the twins as well, so could it really be coincidence that Iago and just happened to meet and both of us just happened to have a connection to the twins? I don't think so.

"Iago, I need to tell you some things that have just now become clear to me. First off, I-" I was interrupted by a bolt of lightning striking the side of Iago's shoulder.

Iago made a sound somewhere between a grunt and a whimper as he quickly clapped a hand over the scorched portion of his shoulder. I quickly turned in the direction the bolt had come from and saw a mage, tome in hand as he readied another spell. I drew my Rapier and dashed towards him, briefly noticing how much lighter this new body of mine was and the speed that came with it. As I rapidly approached him, the mage started to chant faster in hopes of striking me before I reached. He didn't manage to chant fast enough however. In mere moments I was upon him, my Rapier lunging forward and through his chest. He coughed, blood spurting from his mouth before his body went limp. I used my foot to push his body off of my sword and causing a wet squelching sound in the process.

I stared at the body, bloodied and unmoving on the ground. His eyes still wide open in shock from the moment my blade ran him through. It had been only a short time since the war, but oh Naga how I'd missed this.

"You've got good aim, I'll give you that. Can't say the same for him though." I snapped out of my daze at the sound of Iago's voice. He had somehow made his way to my side without me noticing.

"Is your arm okay?" I asked, trying to get a better look at it.

"It's fine. Just a flesh wound is all." He bent down and picked up the mage's, now half blood soaked, tome and flipped through the pages. Finding it to his satisfaction, he snapped the book shut and made a quick glance at our surroundings. "Keep your eyes peeled; if there's one then there's bound to be more nearby. Wretched Hoshidans." He sneered.

I was about to ask how he knew that man had been a Hoshidan when I noticed the glaringly obvious Hoshidan symbol hanging on a chain around his neck. I made sure my sword was at the ready before casting my eyes upwards; Hoshidans were famous for their Sky Knights and I wouldn't have been surprised to find a couple of them watching us from above. I didn't see any at first, but as I watched, one came into view and started its descent to our position on the ground. Iago fired a few spells at it but it dodged nimbly and gracefully, not even seeming to be troubled by the attacks. The pegasus landed roughly fifteen feet from us and we were treated with a good look at its rider; a red-headed woman who currently wore a sour look on her face. Princess Hinoka of Hoshido.

"Iago Macbeth! You are wanted for murder, treason, torture of innocents, and many other crimes for which your penalty should be death. However, it has been decided that you will be given a fair trial and a chance to explain your actions." She scowled further as the words left her mouth. "I would recommend accepting Corrin and Kamui's mercy, because Naga knows you'll find no mercy should you reject their offer."

I slowly turned to look at Iago. He looked just as confused as I felt. I assumed he had equally no knowledge of what she was talking about. I stepped forward.

"Princess Hinoka, you must be mistaken. This man has not proved to be the kind of man you've specified in the time I've known him." Hinoka turned her gaze to me, although it was now softer, gentle even.

"I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but Iago has been lying to you and deceiving you. He's nothing more than a cowardly snake who seeks nothing more than the pain of others. Please, come with me and we'll take care of you." She smiled and extended her hand towards me. I took a slow step forward.

"L-Lillian…" Iago whispered, his tone panicked.

She looked so kind and beautiful, her smile warm and radiant. It made my blood boil. How dare she try to show mercy to _me._ Where was her mercy when she swooped down from above like an angel of death and slaughtered unfathomable numbers of my countrymen? No…no, no, no. She would die right here on the end of my blade, and I would make her regret ever making an enemy of me.

I placed myself between Hinoka and Iago, drew my sword, and pointed it up towards the princess. She seemed taken aback by my decision, causing her to change her expression to one of pity.

"I see. You've been ensnared by his awful magic already. Iago! You will not be allowed to roam free and do as you please!" Hinoka raised her arm and made a hand motion. It wasn't long before a number of soldiers came stampeding out from the trees, their weapons raised and ready. "Kill the Sorcerer and incapacitate the girl. She's under his control and not responsible for her actions. I'm going to report back to King Ryoma."

With that Hinoka took off back into the air. Cowardly princess. Making excuses to get herself off the battlefield. No matter, I'd deal with her in due time. For now, we needed to deal with the soldiers around us.

Iago and I stood back to back, each of us surveying the situation. A Dark Mage, two Diviners, an Archer, and three Spear Fighters.

"Got any ideas?" I asked, slightly nervous.

"If that mage from before was any indication, then these magic users have very little effect on me. Thus I believe our best option is to go after the mages first; you'll follow behind me and only duck out to strike them once we're close enough. We'll have to keep our eyes on the others at the same time though. I'll try my best to keep them at bay with some spell slinging, but what we'll really have to watch is that Archer. He'll be prowling around the edges of the battlefield looking for a clear shot at me."

"Why will he be focused on just you?"

"The princess said to merely incapacitate you and seeing as they have not a single healer with them, an arrow would be the same as a death sentence for you. They'll most likely try to kill me off first and then subdue you through sheer numbers."

"I'm…impressed. You seem like you've done this kind of thing before." I said I was impressed and I meant it. The man had thought of more details than I could be bothered to remember.

"Hah, perhaps. Based on what Princess Hinoka was saying, who knows what all I've done in my lifetime." He had a point there. "On three I'll start running towards the Diviner to my left. One…two…three. GO!"

Iago dashed off and I followed closely behind, trying not to get hit by any of the spells that were now whizzing by us. As Iago had suggested, I watched the other soldiers carefully; the Spear Fighters were keeping up with us but staying a fair distance away due to Iago's magic. Also as expected, the Archer had nocked an arrow and was slowly but surely sidestepping around the edge of the tree line like a predator that's spotted its prey.

"Lillian! Now!"

I snapped back to the situation in front of us to see the Diviner not even ten feet away. I leapt out from behind Iago and drove my Rapier towards the Diviner's heart, but just when I thought I had him, he managed to sidestep my blow. My sword blew past him and I was left vulnerable for the moment when his fist caught the side of my face. I staggered to the side from the force behind it, trying my best to regain my footing. Once I had, I glared over at the Diviner who was no longer paying me any mind as he was too busy trying to slow Iago, who I now noticed had multiple burn marks and bruises from the hits he'd taken during our advance. I took advantage of the Diviner's lack of attention and slowly stepped around behind him before making my second lunge. This time I was successful, my point of my sword entering the back of his neck and exiting just below his bottom jaw. I quickly retracted my sword and left him to gurgle and sputter in his last few moments of life.

Checking on Iago, he had managed to dispose of two of the Spear Fighters and the Dark Mage in the time that I had gotten rid of one measly Diviner. I inwardly reprimanded myself for being as slow and sloppy as I had been. I rushed forward and engaged the last Spear Fighter so Iago could focus on the second Diviner.

The Spear Fighter looked demoralized by the loss of his companions, but there was a fire in his eyes that told me he wanted nothing more than to avenge them right here and now. I pointed the tip of my Rapier in his direction and squared my feet up.

"En garde!"

He poked his naginata forward, hoping to catch me with a quick jab but to no avail. He swiped from the side but I moved forward to catch the shaft of his naginata on my hand guard. He pushed harder, attempting to force it but I had the advantage. I continued to move forward slowly as he kept pushing against me so as to not let my sword arm free. Soon we were face to face, both of us struggling for dominance. Realizing we were getting nowhere, I kicked one of his legs thinking he would falter, but I was mistaken; he held strong and merely smirked before kicking my own leg. His kick was strong and I was forced down onto one knee.

"Heh, things aren't looking good for you now, are they?" The Spear Fighter smiled smugly.

"I…wouldn't get cocky…just yet." I curled my free hand into a fist and brought it up hard into his crotch.

His eyes screwed shut and the weight behind his naginata lifted. I got back on my feet and stood over him as he fell to his knees before me. I leveled the tip of my sword at his throat and grinned.

"Things aren't looking good for you now, are they?" I said in a patronizing tone.

"I'm sorry…we couldn't save you…from him." The man was genuinely apologizing to me. He legitimately believed that Iago was using me like some puppet and I was really just an innocent girl in unfortunate circumstances. My grin quickly turned into a snarl as I thrust my sword forward and through his neck.

With my mood thoroughly soured, I turned around just in time to see Iago finish off the last Diviner. He smiled at me and let out a breath of relief. I was about to do the same when I saw something out of the corner of my eye. The Archer. He had drawn back his arrow and was getting ready to fire. Even if I warned Iago, there was a good chance he either wouldn't immediately understand or wouldn't react in time to dodge the arrow. I sprinted forward as fast as I could, hoping I could make it in time. The Archer released his arrow and I jumped forward, knocking Iago over and feeling a sharp pain in my side mere moments later.

I laid on the ground, blood running from my wound. I watched Iago cast spell after spell at the Archer until finally one hit the Hoshidan and he fell quickly, but Iago didn't stop there; he kept going until the body was smoking and burnt. Through my daze of pain and shock, I could tell that someone was picking me up; carrying me. I assumed it must have been Iago. Before long, my thoughts started to dim and I fell into the darkness of sleep.

* * *

I opened my eyes. Everything was blurry. I blinked, and then blinked again. I was lying on something…soft. My body hurt. I tried sitting up but it was hard; the pain in my side was unbearable. I laid back down and took in my surroundings. It looked like I was in someone's house, but…how had I gotten here? My head was still fuzzy and I couldn't quite think straight. I groaned. The more awake I became, the worse the pain got.

"Hey, finally awake?" A woman's voice. "That was a pretty nasty wound you had. Even my Bloom Festal couldn't heal it completely."

I looked over to my right to see a woman leaning against the wall with her arms crossed over her…more than ample chest. My body may have been female, but my mind was still mostly male and I couldn't help but stare a little bit.

"See something you like, dear?" She asked with a giggle.

I blushed awkwardly and looked up at her face. She was beautiful. Porcelain skin and short black hair that only just barely reached her shoulders. And judging from her attire, she had to have been a Shrine Maiden.

"Where am I?" My voice sounded terrible and gravelly coming out of my throat. My mouth felt like it was filled with cotton.

She smiled and made a sweeping arm gesture.

"Welcome to the Yoka family shrine! My name is Rin and I happen to be the current shrine keeper." I nodded my acknowledgment.

"Where's Iago?"

"That creepy guy that brought you here? I told him to wait outside while I patched you up."

"Oh, okay."

I attempted to sit up again, this time with a little more determination. It took me a few minutes and a couple of snickers from Rin, but I did it.

Rin handed me a cup of water that I downed greedily. The cool freshness of the water washed away that cotton like feeling in my mouth and the roughness in my throat.

"What's your name, cutie?" Rin asked.

"Hm? Oh, uh, Lillian." I answered simply.

"Lillian, huh? That's a nice name. It fits a stunning girl like yourself, ya know?" I looked down, hoping she wouldn't notice the slight tinge of redness on my cheeks.

It was only then that I looked down at myself and realized I'd been stripped completely naked. My face turned very red and I pulled the blanket up to cover myself. Why was I getting so embarrassed all of a sudden? I mean, sure I was naked, but it wasn't the first time this had happened to me. Being a soldier, I got injured and wounded all the time, which meant the healers would end up stripping me down and fixing me up. So why was I so embarrassed that this woman had seen me naked? I couldn't fathom it. There was no reason I could think of.

"Why am I naked?!" I asked Rin, the pitch of my voice having risen significantly.

"Well, I had to get your shirt off in order to properly bandage your wound, ya know. You should be thanking me, by the way."

"O-oh, that makes sense. But I didn't have any wounds on my legs…so why are my pants missing too?"

"Oh, no reason really." She smirked and blush got worse. "But in any case, now that you're awake you should probably let that guy know you're okay."

"R-right. Um, where are my clothes?" I couldn't see them anywhere.

"They're in the basket at the end of the bed." She walked over, picking them up from said basket and placing them next to me. "Do you need any help getting dressed?"

"A-ah, no, I think I'll be fine. Could you just wait outside, please?" I asked. She let out a disappointed sigh.

"Yeah, sure. But just so you know, we'll be talking about your payment for my services once you're done." She bit her bottom lip and eyed me up and down through the blanket before walking out with a grin.

A chill ran down my spine and I waited a few minutes to make sure she was gone. Once I was sure she was gone, I got up from the bed shakily and started redressing myself, quickly noticing that Rin must have mended my shirt and vest at some point as well.

Now dressed, I took a deep breath and stepped outside to see both Iago and Rin had been waiting. Iago was the first to speak.

"Are you alright? She didn't do anything questionable did she? I saw her staring at you lecherously as she took you inside to treat you." He was sending a sideways glare at Rin who simply rolled her eyes.

"Look, weirdo, I'm not the type of person to do something like that without consent. You, on the other hand, I might wonder about. In fact, what were you doing traveling with a girl of such a tender age like her?"

Tender age? She couldn't have been much older than I was. The two of them continued to argue for a while longer before I interrupted, having grown tired of their bickering.

"Rin! You said you wanted to discuss payment?" That caught her attention right away.

"Ooh, getting impatient, lovely?" She smiled and put her hands on her hips. "Well, if you were hoping for what I think you were, then I'll have to disappoint you."

"I really doubt I was hoping for you thought I was." I said with a grimace. She shrugged.

"Can't blame a girl for having a little imagination. Regardless, I want you to take me with you to…wherever it is you're going." I raised an eyebrow at her questioningly. "I'm tired of staying in this tiny town; I've been here my whole life and my ancestors have all stayed here their entire lives without ever leaving, but I don't want to do that. I want to go places, I wanna be someone, is that too much to ask?"

"Rin, I don't think this is the kind of trip you should be going on though. We're not just tourists passing through. I have a goal in mind that I'm working towards and Iago can't remember his past but from what we've heard it may have been a pretty dark past."

"I don't care! Please, just take me with you. I can use staves and rods. You'll need someone like me around if you ever get hurt again." She was begging at this point, but she did have a good point. It would be useful to have a healer around.

"What do you think, Iago?" I turned to look at him. He looked at Rin and made a sour face.

"As much as I'd like to say we should leave her behind, she would be incredibly useful to us during our travels."

Rin clapped her hands.

"It's decided then! I'll go pack my things and then we'll be off! I'm so excited!" She dashed into the house quicker than I'd seen any human being move.

"Um, thanks, Iago." I said.

He looked at me quizzically. "For what?"

"For, well, saving my life. You carried me here, right? I really appreciate that."

He nodded but didn't say anything else for a moment.

"Lillian. There was something you were going to tell me before that mage attacked us. What was it?" He asked curiously.

I had nearly forgotten in all the madness that ensued, but I had planned to tell him something.

"Let's see…I really don't know how to say this without sounding like a lunatic, but…my goal it's…to dethrone and execute all of the royals of Hoshido, Nohr, and Valla. They've wronged me in a way that they can never hope to repay."

Shock was written on his face clear as day and his mouth hung open. Slowly he closed his mouth and gulped nervously.

"I can't say you don't sound insane, but for what it's worth, I'll be supporting you as far as I can. While you were out, I regained some of my memories, and they cleared up some of why I feel such an unrivaled hatred for Kamui and Corrin." He chuckled darkly. "I can't see us getting very far against three kingdoms just with us three though."

"You're right. But we'll just have to find some more allies. That's all." It was a shoddy plan that sounded far too childish and naïve, and we both knew it, but it was all we had for the time being.

Suddenly, Rin burst out of the shrine, travel bag in hand and out of breath.

"What are we waiting for, guys? Let's go!"

And so, with Rin in the lead, we headed out of the village and on to our next destination, wherever that may be.

* * *

 **A/N: Chapter Three in a timely manner?! What kind of witchcraft is this?! But seriously, I'm really happy I managed to get this done so fast. You guys have been giving me awesome feedback and I appreciate every single one of you that has read, reviewed, or submitted a character (OC submissions are still open, btw. I could use some female characters though.)**

 **Rin is an OC I made up myself because I needed a healer character and hadn't gotten any submissions with one, so I just figured I'd throw in one extra OC of mine. And I know she's kinda reminiscent of certain characters *Cough*Camilla*Cough*, but her personality just kinda seemed to fit for what I wanted.**

 **Anyways, as always, thank you so much for reading! And feel free to submit an OC via PM if you want to. The template is at the end of Chapter One.**

 **Farvel!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

* * *

"Wait up!" The young girl yelled. "I can't run that fast!"

"Come on, I can't always be waiting for you to catch up with me. Now it's getting away!" The boy complained.

The two had been chasing after a rabbit with fur as white as snow. A rare sight to be sure. Despite the boy's complaints, the rabbit was much faster than either of them and it would have made no difference even if the girl had kept up with the boy's pace.

The children couldn't have been older than nine years old and so had no business chasing a rabbit around the forest when dusk was upon them from the outset of their hunt.

"I-I'm sorry, I'm just not that fast." The girl apologized. "But…can't we go home now? It's dark…" She trailed off.

The boy looked around, realizing that it was dark, and that the forest was very eerie in the dead of night. A chill ran up his spine, but he couldn't very well look like a coward in front of his crush.

"Well, alright. If you ask me though, I'd say you're just a scaredy-cat." He said with a boyish grin.

She frowned. "I'm not a scaredy-cat! I'll prove it!" And like lightning she was gone, rushing deeper into the forest.

The boy was dumbfounded. He hadn't expected his childish teasing to set her off like that.

"Come back here! Don't go running off by yourself!" He yelled.

There was no response to be heard. He wanted to go find her, but dared not to move deeper into the woods. He'd always heard that bad things happened to people that wandered the woods at night. But on the other hand, he couldn't just leave her alone in the woods at night either...

A tree branch snapped somewhere behind him and he whipped around, his eyes wide.

"I-Is that you?" He called out quietly. No response. "If you're trying to scare me, then it won't work!"

He was hoping his brave act would have some kind effect. It only made things worse.

"Oh? You're very courageous, aren't you? You must be quite brave to even be speaking to me." That was not the voice of the boy's friend. It was low, guttural. "Hmm, haven't your parents told you not to go wandering in the forest at night?"

He gulped nervously. "Y-yes, t-they have. W-who are you?" His little legs were trembling and he felt as though he would collapse at any second, but almost instinctively, he knew that if he lost his focus for even a moment this…thing would no doubt take the opportunity.

The creature laughed at his question.

"You amuse me, child. Most would run in terror at the mere sound of my voice, yet you…you stand tall in my presence. Trembling, but standing nonetheless." There was silence. "I will spare your life and give you my blessing on one condition: leave the girl behind and flee from this forest at once."

"B-but…what'll happen to her? It's dark and she won't be able to find her way home by herself! She'll get lost and probably start crying."

"Worry not, child. I will take care of her. You have my word. Now go!" The creature's last words were sharp and harsh, causing the boy to jump.

Without a second thought, the boy ran. He ran from the creature down the forest paths he knew so well until he reached the edge of the forest. He stopped for a moment, looking back at the forest and hoping the creature would truly look after his friend until tomorrow. It had given him its word after all, so all should have been well. He continued running until he made it back to his home where his mother waited, arms crossed and an eyebrow raised. He knew he was in trouble now.

After a harsh scolding for leaving the house at dusk, he'd been sent to his room without supper. He laid on his bed, his window open, thinking about his friend, and about the creature he'd met. He couldn't help but shake the feeling that that thing hadn't been telling the whole truth. Just then, he heard a scream ring out from the direction of the forest. It was a girl's scream. A knot formed in the boy's stomach. He knew who that scream belonged to, and thinking about her being in any kind of pain made his eyes sting with tears.

He was sure to get an even worse scolding later, but that didn't matter now. He clambered out the window with a small knapsack of items in one hand, and a knife in the other. His father was a carpenter and had given the boy a wood carving knife on his eighth birthday. The boy had hardly ever used it, but it remained among his favorite belongings. He had certainly never thought about using it in this manner before.

He reassured himself of what he was doing and why before darting back into the dark forest. He searched for hours, calling her name, stopping to listen, moving deeper, calling her name, stopping to listen. And the cycle continued on and on with no change. He was about to give up in despair when he finally heard something; it sounded like…breathing. But it was too loud to be something breathing. He searched around, trying to find where it was the loudest, and there it was: a cave. He felt like he'd searched the whole rest of the forest already, so this seemed like his last chance at finding her. He summoned up every ounce of courage he had and walked into the dark cave.

He couldn't see a thing so all he could do was feel along the wall of the cave and try not to trip over the big rocks on the cave floor. His efforts were in vain, however, as he tripped on a rock and fell flat on his face. The heavy breathing sound stopped.

"Well, well, well. I'm surprised to see you here, child. I thought I told you to leave the forest." There was no doubt, this was the creature from before. Only now the echo of the cave made it sounded even larger. "Let me guess, you came to find the girl?"

"Y-yes, I did. H-her mom and dad will be awfully worried if she doesn't come home by morning."

"Aww, but I'm afraid they'll just have to stay worried then. She's not going home anytime soon, boy."

There was a loud clicking sound and a fire roared into life, illuminating the cave. Now that he could get a good look at it, he saw that the cave seemed less like a cave and more like ancient ruins of some kind. Strange markings etched into the walls, large columns aligned on either side of the chamber, and a wide staircase at the back of the chamber leading into another smaller room. But all of that paled in comparison to what the boy saw scattered about the floor. It hadn't been rocks he'd been stepping on and tripping over; they were bones…human bones. He wanted to cry, to scream, to do anything at all, but all he could manage was a horrified expression. The creature laughed loud and heartily.

"Now, boy. Let's see what you can see across this sea of cadavers. Notice anything familiar?"

As if by the creature's will, he saw it. A small corpse, blood pooled beneath it. The dead body of a little girl. Without even going near, he knew who it was. It was her, there was no doubt in his mind about that.

"Y-y-y…you said you would take care of her…" The boy managed to stutter out before falling to his knees.

"I did, didn't I? I've been known to lie." It muttered nonchalantly. "I grow bored dealing with you, child. I've already eaten my fill for the night so I have no desire to devour you as well, but I would recommend you leave me to my slumber before my appetite comes back."

The boy balled his fists, tears streaming down his face and dripping to the floor beneath him.

"I…I…I'm going to kill you! You monster!" The boy looked around, rage and hatred burning in his eyes now. The creature was nowhere to be seen though.

"Kill me? You wouldn't even be able to fathom my form with your tiny mind, let alone kill me." It cackled. "I'll give you credit for mustering up the necessary courage to challenge me though. I-"

The creature's voice stopped short, no sound could be heard through the chamber for a few agonizing minutes. The boy took this opportunity to ready his knife, planning to strike the first moment this creature showed itself.

"How…interesting. What an unexpected development. It seems fate is on your side, boy."

The air shimmered before him, an enormous reptilian beast appearing before him. It blinked a couple of times and flicked its tongue before sauntering over to the boy, who promptly scrambled backwards in a vain attempt to put distance between himself and this monstrous creature.

"Fear not. My intention is not to harm you. Quite the opposite actually." The dragon laid itself down in front of the boy. Extending a claw, it scraped across its own throat, peeling the scales away to reveal a thin, soft layer of flesh. "Plunge your dagger into my neck, child. Quickly now!"

The boy's mind was racing. What was happening? The corpses, the dragon and its request for death, his friend's body, the ancient ruins he now sat in. None of it made sense and everything was moving too fast for him to keep up with. He looked at the knife in his hand and then at the dragon. Minutes before he had been more than prepared to fight this creature to the death, but as soon as he'd seen it for what it really was his terror had taken over.

The beast was getting impatient and a growl was growing. It raised a single clawed hand and dangled it over the boy, a blue glow emanating from the palm. The boy's eyes widened as he realized his body was no longer his own; he couldn't move even his little finger. And then all at once his body moved on its own, standing up, clutching the knife tightly, and thrusting it into the dragon's exposed throat. Black blood poured from the wound and soaked into the cracks of the ancient stone floor. The dragon closed its eyes calmly, seemingly at peace with the events that had just transpired. It spoke just a few last words.

"I leave the rest to you now…boy. Do what I could not…"

The dragon's mouth hung open, expelling a bright white smoke that rushed for the boy as fast as it could, squeezing itself into every one of the boy's facial orifices. He crumpled to the ground, screaming in agony as his lungs burned, his brain melted, and his heart sped up until it stopped. To the boy, it felt like it lasted for an eternity before he was finally able to regain his bearings and climb to his feet. His mind was hazy, but even in its haze he knew untold knowledge had been injected into it. He breathed heavily, waiting until the sick feeling in his stomach left him, and after a while, it did. He…he had memories. Memories that weren't his. And with them came the knowledge of many, many different things. He looked to the corpses before him, those of the dragon and his friend, and without knowing what he was saying, words left his mouth.

Runes appeared on the floor beneath the corpses, raising them to their feet inside cylinders of light. Before long, they stood on their own, both of them expressionless with dead eyed stares, and yet they walked just fine.

"A…Aria?" The boy called out hesitantly to the girl. She smiled and life returned to her eyes.

"Hey! Where did you run off to without me?" She asked, beginning to pout. "Come on, let's go home before our parents get too mad."

She bounded over and hugged him. A tear ran down his face and a smile cracked across his face. It was her, she was alive. It was impossible but here she was, alive and well. But…something still seemed wrong. She didn't seem even slightly perturbed by the bones littering the floor around them. And when he pulled away from her, he could still that deadness in her eyes; it was faint, but despite being covered by her smiling face, it was most assuredly still there. This wasn't Aria. No matter how much it looked or sounded like her, it couldn't be her. She was dead and he knew it. But…he wanted so bad for her to be alive, and if this…thing was able to emulate her so well, maybe he could live with that. He could just forget all about this night and move on with his life…right?

He took her hand and walked towards the exit, seeing sunlight creeping into the mouth of the cave.

"Mom and dad will sure be mad we stayed out until morning." She said.

"Y-yeah…they sure will." As if there was any punishment his parents could bestow that would seem anything less than angelic at this point.

As they left, the dead eyed dragon stood stock still; unmoving and resolute in its former lair, not a single thought running through its mind as it stood watch quietly.

* * *

 **A/N: Chapter FOOOOUUUURRRR! *Swings golf club* Jokes aside though, I'm sure you all read this chapter and went "Huh? This has nothing to do with anything at all. What the heckles?" To which I would respond. "It had more to do with this story than you could possibly know at this point." Which…is more or less the point. Anyway, I promise we'll be back with Lillian, Iago, and Rin in the next chapter.**

 **Thank you much for reading, guys! There are still OCs being accepted (See the end of chapter one for details). Feel free to leave a review or shoot me a PM to tell me what you think so far.**

 **Farvel!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

* * *

Ever since we'd left the Rin's hometown, she'd been less than helpful. It was true she wanted to see the world, but she only wanted to see it if she could still have the comforts of home with her the whole way. I had been doing my best to stay patient with her, but Iago had long since given up that particular virtue. Every time she complained, he shot back retort after withering retort. Rin, for her part, had ignored him the majority of our journey and had chosen instead to cling to me whenever she was feeling homesick or tired or hungry. I couldn't say I wasn't annoyed by it, but if Iago's attempts were anything to go by, getting mad at her wasn't going to do anything to help the situation.

At this particular moment, we sat around a crudely made campfire that we'd only been able to light due to Iago's magic. To be honest, I was disappointed in myself for that; I'd been a soldier for a number of years, I'd been on many expeditions away from home, and yet I couldn't manage to light a fire by myself? I was starting to underwhelm even myself.

"Ugh! Why do there have to be so many bugs out here? Can't you do something about them with your magic?" She stared at Iago. He rolled his eyes and I could see him mentally biting his tongue.

"Rin, my offensive magic, much like your healing magic, isn't capable of dealing with such a problem. If we had a saboteur or a defensive mage then maybe we could figure something out, but we don't. So keep your mouth shut for the time being and just deal with it." I was honestly impressed with how well he managed to control his emotions given how much I knew Rin was annoying him. Rin merely huffed angrily and kept swatting at the nuisances swarming around her.

Eager to change the subject and hopefully make some headway on doing something productive, I chimed in.

"So, where are we headed for now?" I asked, directing the question at both of them. Rin sighed in exasperation.

"I thought you knew where we were going, Lillian!" She fell dramatically onto her back.

Iago rolled his eyes for what seemed like the millionth time that day before addressing my question.

"Well, seeing as we're in Hoshido, the most useful thing we could do is pay a visit to Castle Shirasagi, since we're fairly close to it anyway, however this doesn't come without its fair share of risks and dangers; if our encounter with Princess Hinoka is any indication, then they'll be on the lookout for Lillian and me."

"Why me too?" I asked curiously.

"Hinoka was under the impression that you were a puppet of my magic and she's sure to have related everything to her siblings by now. So, if they see you then they'll assume that I'm nearby as well." He explained with a small wave of his hand.

"Ah, right. But then how are we going to get anywhere near Castle Shirasagi?" I asked.

Iago spared a glance towards Rin, who was still laying down and mumbling to herself.

"There is _one_ member of our group that they won't recognize." My mouth formed a silent 'Oh' as I caught onto what he was saying. "The only question is how to properly utilize her for this task."

Iago rubbed his chin thoughtfully, presumably coming up with different plans and preparations. This left me with my own thoughts as well. There was no way we could just send Rin up to the castle and expect them to welcome her in without a word; they weren't stupid, I could at least give them that much. My mind raced through a number of different scenarios of what we could do at this point, but I couldn't come up with anything that sounded viable in reality. From the look on his face, Iago was having about as much luck as I was trying to think of something.

"Do you guys hear that?" Rin piped up. I snapped out of my thoughts to find her sitting up and alert, her eyes watching the tree line around us.

I started straining my ears and then I heard it: the sounds of steel clanging and the squelch of something wet. It was close too. Without thinking too much about the consequences, I stood up and began creeping in the direction of the noise. I could hear the footsteps of Iago and Rin behind me as they rustled through the tall grass. Reaching the tree line, I pressed myself against one of the trees and peered out from around it, hoping to catch a glimpse of whatever was going on.

And catch a glimpse I did.

The sounds of steel clanging had ceased by this point and only the squelching sound remained. Its source being what I saw before me; a large man with an even larger axe that was blacker than the night. He stood mutilating a body on the ground, a Hoshidan ninja by the looks of it, though it was hard to tell because of how much the body had been mangled. The Hoshidan corpse was obviously already long past dead, yet the man continued to bring his axe up, and then let it fall into the corpse. Over and over he did this, and all I could do was watch. I felt a tingle of fear run through my veins. There was nothing particularly fearsome about the man, and though he was large and well-muscled, I was still confident I could take someone of his size in a fight. But there was still this nagging feeling in my mind that this was not a man to be trifled with.

"Psssst!" I attempted to catch the attention of my friends hiding nearby so I could signal a retreat, but it didn't work out quite as well as I would have hoped.

Not only did my allies not hear me, but the man had very keen hearing, evidenced by the way his axe stopped mid swing and his head started on a slow turn towards me. His head finished its turn, his face staring in my direction. He stood up just a bit straighter and allowed his axe to fall gently to his side as he stalked towards me. I was frozen in fear, never in my life had I felt as much terror as what I experienced at that moment, and the worst part was that I had no idea of the reason for my horror. He was closer now and I could make out some faint mumblings.

"Must right the wrongs. Kill the beast. Murder its co-conspirators. Make the world right. Break the cycle. Free them from their fates. They know not what they do. The world…it must be made right. None can remain. Have to…right my wrongs. Need to break the cycle…once and for all. None can remain. Right the wrongs. Kill the beast…kill the beast…kill the beast…" His mumbled rants continued on in the same patterns as he continued his slow walk to me.

I managed to force my legs to back up a few steps as he got dangerously close. I didn't know where Iago and Rin were, but at that moment it didn't matter. This man and I were the only things that existed in my mind right then. He stopped in front of me, his eyes staring through me rather than at me, his chant still flowing from his lips. I stared at him, his appearance finally sinking in.

He was an old man, his hair and beard white with small remnants of gray in them. His face was scarred, wrinkled, and tired as if he hadn't slept in weeks. He wore dark armor over his entire body, covering everything but his head. A ragged cape fluttered weakly behind him, it bore the marks of many battles. My eyes wandered down to the enormous, double-sided battle axe that was gripped tightly in his right hand, the black steel catching the moonlight to create an intense contrast. I brought my gaze back to his face to find he was now looking at me, acknowledging my presence, and the question slipped from my lips before I could stop it.

"W-who…are you?" His chant ceased as his mind struggled to process my question. His mouth curled into a snarl, revealing jagged and broken teeth.

"I…I…must kill…the beast." The snarl turned into a grimace, as if speaking anything but his repetitious nonsense pained him. "The beast…you know…where it is?"

"I…don't know what beast you mean. I don't know where it is." I answered, my voice shaking.

"Lies…lies…lies…lies lies lies lies lies lies! You're lying to me, Lillian!" He knew my name. This fact only increased my fear. "Why do you lie to me? I must kill the beast! It's the only way, Lillian!"

He gripped his axe tighter and I thought for a moment he was going to bring my second life to an end. But I was wrong, he wasn't gripping it in anger. He was crying, tears streaming from his eyes like an overflowing well.

"Why, Lillian? All I ever wanted…was your happiness, but in the end…I pushed you away, didn't I?" He laughed bitterly. "So foolish was I…but at the very least…I was a good leader, wasn't I? A fair ruler? I did my best, did I not?"

He was looking at me pleadingly, his eyes begging me to console him; to comfort him. I placed a tentative hand on his shoulder and forced a smile of some kind.

"You were…a fine ruler…that's what I believe." I had no idea what kind of ruler he actually was, but my gut was telling me I should be nice if I wanted to escape with my insides still inside my body.

He sniffled, his tears slowing as he brought his free hand up to my face, placing it gently on my face. My fear froze me once more.

"You always were so kind…so caring…just like your mother was." His eyes became distant and filled with sorrow. "It was my fault she passed. I put my duty before my heart and it wound up killing her…kill…? That's right. The beast. I must kill the beast. End the cycle. Right the wrongs."

His eyes glazed over, and the chanting from before returned. The hand on my cheek fell to my throat, grasping it tightly; I could still breath, but only just barely. He lifted me up by my throat before raising his axe, presumably with the intent to strike me down. I was panicking, I didn't know what to do; I was still half frozen in terror and the other half of me was freaking out about the lack of oxygen and none of my brain could figure out what needed to be done to survive.

"That's quite enough!" A sword gleamed behind my attacker for a brief moment before the man groaned in pain and dropped me, swinging his axe around in the same instant.

I didn't take the time to see what happened right after that as I was busy filling my lungs with air and scrambling to my feet. I first looked around for Iago and Rin, but they were nowhere to be found. My attention was next turned to the duel at hand. The axe man was squaring off against a Swordmaster in shining red armor; King Ryoma of Hoshido. It was him without a doubt, his sword crackling with electricity, his obnoxious hair being held back by his annoying headpiece. I cursed my fate; being saved by King Ryoma had to be one of the worst insults I could have possibly imagined. My pride would have suffered less had I been murdered right then and there.

I watched the two fight for a while. The axe man had unrivaled strength it seemed, and Ryoma was all too aware. Ryoma refused to even attempt blocking a single blow, opting instead to sidestep or roll around his opponent, slicing the axe man's legs as he went. But no matter how many times the larger man suffered injury, he looked no worse for wear. It wasn't long after that Ryoma came to the same conclusion. He made a feint to one side before running off the other direction, coming straight for me. His sprint didn't stop as he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder. I was merely shocked at first, not having expected him to pick me up, but my shock turned to anger quickly and I slammed my fists against him, yelling insults and demanding that he put me down.

"Will you keep quiet?!" He bellowed. "I'm saving your life right now and I should think you'd be grateful for such a deed!"

I quit my attacks on him and settled for scowling instead. Looking behind us, I could see the axe man had stayed on our tail for quite some time, but now he was on his hands and knees while he expelled liquid from his mouth.

"LILLIAAAAAAAAAAN!" He yelled after us, but it wasn't an angry yell, it sounded more like desperation.

Ryoma continued running for a long time after that, I wasn't sure how long since I ended up falling asleep. It was probably due to exhaustion and the fact the adrenaline had worn off.

* * *

When I awoke, I was in an unfamiliar room, there was sunlight shining from somewhere, and there were people talking. I slowly sat up, holding my head and trying to blink through the sunlight.

"She's awake." Ryoma's voice. My mood instantly soured.

"It's about time. Now we can get some answers." Another male voice. This one sounded condescending.

"Be careful though, we have no way of knowing if the magic is still in effect or not." Hinoka's voice. Two royals? This couldn't be good.

My sight finally cleared and I found a hand waiting in front of me. I looked up to see that it belonged to Hinoka. She smiled gently. I slapped her hand away and rose to my feet on my own. She looked offended and it only brought me joy.

I had known Ryoma and Hinoka were here, but now that I could see properly, I could see Prince Takumi and Yukimura as well. Yet two more faces I despised. Nobody spoke.

"Well?" I snapped.

"Watch your tone! You are speaking with royalty, girl!" Yukimura barked. I sneered at him.

"Easy both of you. We just have a couple of questions for you, is that alright?" Hinoka asked.

"I don't really have a choice in the matter, now do I?"

Ryoma sighed. "First off, Hinoka tells me that you were the young women she saw with Iago. Will you tell us where he is?"

"Not a chance…your highness." I added the last part purely to add sarcasm and bitterness to. Yukimura was visibly riled up but he kept his mouth shut.

"Fine, fine. We'll find him eventually and you'll be set free then." Ryoma said calmly. I rolled my eyes. "My second question: who was that man in the forest last night?"

Ryoma's calm tone had suddenly turned hard and serious. It actually caught me by surprise at first. I shrugged my shoulders in response to his question.

"Couldn't tell you. Last night was the first time I've ever met him." I crossed my arms.

"And yet he knew you by name?" Ryoma pressed.

"So what? He may have known me, but that doesn't mean I knew him too. He was a complete stranger to me."

Ryoma took a step forward, standing uncomfortably close to me.

"I don't believe you. One of my soldiers came running back to the castle to tell me that a monster of a man had slain his entire patrol with incredible ease. I rushed out to the specified location to get a handle on the situation, and what do I find?" He pauses, seeing if I'll crack and spill the beans. "The first thing I see is him crying and you smiling as you comfort him. I'd say that goes a beyond being complete strangers, wouldn't you?"

I didn't respond. How could I? Anything I could have said at the time would have looked like an excuse. And I couldn't deny that what he'd said had happened, but the circumstances were far different than he was assuming.

"You'd be best off just telling him everything right now, my brother is extremely stubborn when it comes to serious matters." Takumi chimed in just as he was leaving the room. "Let me know if anything happens!"

Good. One less pompous, pretentious, scum bag in the room. I turned back to Ryoma, his iron gaze locking on me. He simply stood there, waiting…and waiting. Yukimura and Hinoka sat down with heavy sighs. They must have known the drill by now. I stared Ryoma down defiantly, intent on not telling him anything, despite the fact that I really didn't have the answer he wanted. Heck, I didn't even know where Iago was right now, so that answer was out, and as for the mysterious man, Ryoma knew about as much as I did. Not like I'd tell the filthy Hoshidans anything even if I did know. I didn't owe them anything.

I stood in opposition of Ryoma for hours on end, neither one of us ready to back down and cave to the wishes of the other. I was reminded of a similar encounter we'd had on the battlefield of the Sirene capital. I had done my best to ward off the common soldiers, to keep them from entering the palace, but Ryoma and Xander showed up before long, brandishing the Raijinto and Siegfried respectively. It was no use against the both of them. One of them and it would have been possible to come out on top, but with two warriors of their renown and strength I didn't stand even the slightest chance of attaining victory. They left me face down in the mud, not dead, but just wounded enough to keep me from pursuing them.

 _I willed myself to my feet the injuries they'd given me weren't severe, but they were painful, and knowing the status of our army at the time, there probably weren't any healers available to patch me up._

 _Back on my feet now, I limped into the palace and followed the trail of slaughtered and wounded soldiers. The two royals were headed straight for the throne room. They meant to end this war here and now…I wouldn't let them. This couldn't be where we fell. Not after all we'd been through. I hurried forward as fast as I could, turning the next corner and finding the throne room doors thrust wide open. The king stood against Xander while the queen fought with Ryoma. I made it into the room, leaning against the doorframe to catch my breath._

" _Your highness! Allow me to assist you." I said. The king didn't even give me a sideways glance._

" _Stand down, boy. You failed to keep them out, so now it falls to me to clean up the mess that's been made. This is a matter for royalty now; you have no place in this duel….besides, should I fall here, the people will require a leader and not many left alive are fit to rule." The king and Xander continued circling each other, waiting patiently for an opening._

" _What are you saying? I can't simply abandon my liege and flee with my tail between my legs!" I argued._

" _Now's not the time to argue with me! I am your king and you will obey me. I command you to run. Tuck your tail between your legs and leave this place. Go lick your wounds and live to fight another day! GO!"_

 _With that last exclamation, the king made a move. He struck quickly, lashing his lance out towards Xander and landing a blow, albeit a small one._

 _I hesitated just a moment more before turning and coming right back the way I came. Down the corpse filled halls and back out into the open air. I ran, I didn't know where I was going, but I had to get away now. There was no other chance. I noticed a number of other soldiers headed in the same direction I was, and their numbers were sizable. I grinned; perhaps we had a chance at a comeback after all._

I was snapped out of my reverie by the sliding door behind me closing. I realized it must have been Hinoka and Yukimura leaving the room. Ryoma still stood tall and proud in front of me and the sun outside was on the decline. How long had we been standing here for? This deadlock wasn't going to end anytime soon unless one of us did something.

"Ryoma." I said simply, walking over to take one of the seats by the wall that had been occupied by Hinoka and Yukimura previously.

"Finally decided to talk, hm?" He taunted.

"Yes, I have. But not about your questions. I wish to talk…of Sirene." This was a bold move, but I needed to know. He looked shocked for a second before narrowing his eyes at me.

"What of Sirene? That was a bloody war that I think all of us would have preferred not to fight."

"See, that's exactly it. No one wanted to fight that war…so why did they?"

"Well, we couldn't very well let Sirene accomplish the goals it had in mind. It would have been disastrous for the entire world, and maybe more than just our world." He stopped. "Why do you wish to talk of Sirene? Did you have family there?"

I grit my teeth. "Yes…I did. And from what I understand, they're dead now, even though they weren't soldiers. Just honest people making an honest living, yet you all butchered them without a second thought…."

"…I am sorry for what happened there, but it had to be done. Their evil designs couldn't be allowed to pass."

"Evil designs?" I stood up, glaring at him. "What evil designs? We did nothing to the rest of you! We even helped you in days past, and you reward us with an unprovoked invasion? You speak of that war as if it were some holy crusade that 'had to be done'." I was shaking with rage now.

"Us? We? From the sounds of it, you didn't just have family in Sirene. You were a citizen, weren't you?" He asked. His calm demeanor was only making me angrier.

"Excellent deduction, genius! So what if I was a citizen? Does it even matter anymore? Thanks to you and your little band of friends, Sirene doesn't even exist. It's a destroyed kingdom fated to fade away and be forgotten forever…and none of you seem to care about what you've done."

Ryoma clenched his fists, his face taking on a dark expression.

"You may insult me, call me a monster for the sins I committed in Sirene, but don't you dare assume that I enjoyed what I did. A threat to the world was presented and we made the decision to annihilate it before it could grow…not a day goes by that I don't think that maybe, just maybe, we were wrong. But in the end, it was Kamui's call and I know that she would not lead us astray."

"But how do you know? What proof do you have that Kamui has turned into some power-hungry monster that simply wants the world under the heel of her boot, and when Sirene wouldn't bow to her, she saw fit to dispose of it?" I snapped back.

"STOP!" He yelled. "You don't know what you're talking about. That's not the kind of person Kamui is. She and Corrin are the only two people that I know I can trust absolutely and without a doubt."

"People change, King Ryoma. It's one of the defining characteristics of mankind."

He made to leave the room and opened the sliding door, turning his head to speak once more.

"You'll stay in this room for the night. We'll decide what to do with you in the morning." He walked out, practically slamming the door behind him as he went. I'd definitely struck a chord somewhere in him, and I'd cast the seeds of doubt in his subconscious. I smiled to myself and laid down on the floor. I had been genuinely angry while talking to Ryoma, but even in my rage I'd managed to do something worthwhile here at Castle Shirasagi. I guess we wouldn't have to have Rin sneak in after all. I closed my eyes, ready to go to sleep, when I heard the door open.

"Back already, Ryoma?" I asked without opening my eyes.

"O-oh, um…" That wasn't Ryoma's voice. I opened my eyes and sat up quickly, seeing that my visitor was not Ryoma, but Princess Sakura instead. "I-I, um, brought you these. I thought it might be uncomfortable sleeping, w-well, like you are."

She set down a futon and a white nightgown. I looked back up at her. Princess Sakura was the only Hoshidan royal that I didn't detest. She was no warrior, and thus had no part in the war, and being as timid as she was, I couldn't see her being part of planning any attacks against Sirene. In my eyes, she was innocent.

"Thank you, I appreciate it." I gave her a soft smile and she smiled back.

I went about setting up the futon, expecting her to leave the room, instead she knelt on the floor next to me. Just watching with a content look on her face.

"I heard you arguing with Ryoma earlier." She stated. There was no extra meaning, she was just stating a fact.

"Oh? Sorry you had to hear that. I just…frankly, I don't like your siblings at all. I know that sounds harsh, but it's the truth." I finished my set up and sat down cross legged.

She smiled again. "That's okay. Even if you don't like them now, that doesn't mean you can't learn to like them later. It's just like you said 'People change, it's a defining characteristic of humans.'"

Dang it. She was hitting me with my own logic. Even if she was innocent, that didn't mean she couldn't be crafty.

"Well, yeah, but even so I don't think I could learn to like them for a long time. It might even take until the ends of our lives."

She looked thoughtful. "But if that's what it takes then I'd say it's still okay. If there's even a possibility of everyone getting along, I think that's what we should pursue."

"Yeah…maybe so…" She was saying we all needed to make nice, but I don't think she understood that it's not as easy as just talking it out. Especially the bad blood between me and the royals; that was something that I wouldn't be able to settle with words.

"A-anyway, I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable or anything. I'll leave now so you can get changed and go to sleep." She stood up, brushing off her knees and heading to the door. "I'll be back in the morning to help you get ready before my brother starts his interrogation again."

"O-okay?" Help me get ready? What was she, my mother?

"Sweet dreams." She whispered softly before exiting the room.

She was definitely treating me like a child, or at least that's how it felt. But I guess I didn't mind it, at least she wasn't hostile like the others were.

I changed into the nightgown she'd brought for me, finding it a little too small but not uncomfortably so. I left my clothes on the floor next to my futon, along with the rest of my gear minus my sword. I kept that as close to me as possible. I wasn't going to let anyone take my weapon while I slept. A dozen questions whizzed through my mind as I waited for sleep to come. Who was the man in the forest? How did he know me? What was the beast he kept talking about? What was the reason behind the invasion of Sirene? These and many other questions swirled around in my mind, combining to create a very fantastical dream for me to experience while I slept.

* * *

 **A/N: Hey guys! Sorry this is reeeeallly late. I meant to get it up last week but things didn't go the way I wanted them too, and add on top of that that I ended up scrapping the nearly completed chapter I had (Because it was all over the place and made no sense) and it just makes a big mess that leaves no one happy. But anyway, here it is, I hope it's not too terrible.**

 **Sorry to the people that submitted OCs! I'm sorry I haven't put any of your wonderful characters into the story yet. I was going to put one in this chapter, but it just wasn't working out to well with where things needed to go, but I promise I'll get some in soon…at least I hope I will.**

 **Thanks so much for reading! Please feel free to PM me a character if you have one (Refer to chapter one for rules and the template).**

 **Farvel!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

* * *

True to her word, Princess Sakura was back to wake me up bright and early, albeit much earlier than I would have liked. I had been asleep, dreaming wonderful dreams, when I was suddenly torn away from them and back to reality by the kind princess of Hoshido. As she had promised, she was there to help me get ready for the day ahead. I was first forced to endure a bath, which was a far more embarrassing experience that I had expected possible, but I came out of it feeling cleaner and better about myself, so I suppose it was a fair trade off. The rest of the morning only served to make me feel vulnerable; after my bath, Sakura insisted that that I wear one of the brightly colored kimonos that were unique to Hoshido. It felt loose, breezy, and uncomfortable in my opinion, although my biggest concern was that there was no possible way I could fight properly while wearing such a thing; it just had too much extra fabric that would get caught on everything. I still kept my sword close to me but I knew in the back of my mind that it wouldn't do me much good if I were attacked while in my current state of dress.

After braiding my hair, Sakura seemed content with the way I looked and decided we were done getting me ready. She kept smiling like a proud parent and commenting on how 'cute' and 'beautiful' I was. I protested against her compliments at first, but no matter what I said, she persisted with her barrage of remarks which left me with the only option of keeping my mouth shut and trying not to let it bother me too much. My saving grace, ironically, was Ryoma. He walked into the room and asked Sakura to leave, and for the first time, I was grateful towards Ryoma.

"I just have a few questions for you. I will once again ask you where Iago is, and also what you know about the man in the forest." He knelt down on the floor opposite me.

"And I'll answer you once again that I know nothing of either subject. I knew where Iago was before you whisked me away to Shirasagi, but I couldn't possibly know now. The man in the forest was someone I'd never met before." I stared at him with my usual defiant glare.

He sighed and closed his eyes. "Very well. That was all I wished to ask you. However, I do have something to inform you of."

"Oh? Do tell, your highness." I said with no small amount of sarcasm.

"Your execution has been slated for this afternoon." My heart skipped a beat. "As a citizen of Sirene, we cannot allow you to walk free knowing the dangers you may impose upon our world."

He said it all with such a stoic expression, as if it didn't bother him in the slightest. But what could I expect from Kamui and Corrin's puppets? They were all unfeeling and unsympathetic cretins that deserved nothing more than the most gruesome death I could deliver.

"I…I see. I don't suppose there will be a trial beforehand?"

"I think we both know it would be a waste of time."

I nodded. He was right. There wouldn't have been a fair trial waiting for me anyway.

I said nothing else, instead letting my mind sift through the possibilities of how I could escape from this situation. I'd been captured before and had always found a way out of every dungeon I'd been locked in, but this was different, there was no locked door to pick or a guard to bribe; I'd be going straight to my death with no middle man. I could try and beg for my life, but I got the feeling it would only destroy my pride and leave me with a dishonorable death.

Noticing my silence, Ryoma rose to his feet and headed for the door.

"A guard will be posted outside your door until the time comes…for what it's worth, I wish it didn't have to end this way." Lies.

"At the very least, can I have my own clothes back? I'd hate to ruin such a nice kimono with my blood." It was a ploy more than anything else. My plan was to try fighting my way out, not that I expected it to work, but it was all I had right now.

He nodded slowly. "I'll have one of the servants bring them to you."

He left, allowing me to consider any other options I might have. As much as I was hoping for it to happen, there was no chance of Iago and Rin coming to my rescue at this point. Iago was a wanted man and Rin was merely a Shrine Maiden. Neither would be able to do much for my situation at this point. I didn't know if he'd be able to hear me, but I wondered if I could ask Varlent for help; he seemed to be a fairly mysterious person with more power than he probably liked to let on. But then again, he was unpredictable and unreliable, I couldn't count him to do anything even if he did hear me.

I don't know how long I sat and flip-flopped between figuring out how to escape and wondering what came after death, but at some point, the door opened and revealed who I could only assume was the servant who was to bring me my clothes. But…he was not what I expected from a servant of the Hoshidan royalty.

The man standing before me held my clothes under one arm as he waltzed in rather unceremoniously.

"Hey there, I brought your stuff. It wasn't in the best of shape when I found it so I patched it up for you." He tossed it towards me. I didn't expect him to toss it so I wound up catching it rather sloppily.

"I, um, thanks…I guess." There was really no need to fix it up, I was about to be executed anyway.

I looked up at the man. He was about 5'9" or so, lean build. His hair was a dark grey-ish color with a bit of white in certain spots. But the strangest thing? He was a Wolfskin, complete with ears and a tail. It wasn't that they were new to me, I just didn't expect to see one in Hoshido. The Wolfskin resided in Nohr and Sirene, while Hoshido hosted the Kitsune as something of a counterpart. His outfit was strange for a Wolfskin as well; he had donned the armor of the Wyvern Riders of Sirene and sported a Steel Axe strapped to his back.

I continued to stare at him, slowly realizing that I knew him. Not well, of course, but I knew those brown eyes, and the fact he wore armor from Sirene only strengthened my suspicion.

"What's wrong? Somethin' on my face?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, his hands buried in his pockets.

"No, I just…is that you, Stitcher?" I asked. He looked taken aback.

"That's my name alright. Question is, how do you know it?" He looked at me thoughtfully. "Can't say I've ever met you before."

I stood up quickly. "It's me! General Lund! We fought together in Sirene!"

* * *

 _I couldn't believe it. Stitcher had been among those that I'd hand picked for our last stand at the capital. I didn't know him well, but despite not being a technical citizen of Sirene, he'd outshone most of our troops by miles. Initially he'd been placed in a squadron with other Wolfskin, but our tactician made a fatal error and pitted them against a squad of mages unknowingly. Most of the Wolfskin fell there, but Stitcher was more clever, he transformed back to his human form to blend into the battle better and decided to strike the enemies one at a time and quickly, unfortunately, he lost his Beaststone in the ensuing chaos of battle. Undeterred, he picked up the axe of a fallen comrade and continued to fight. When things looked bleak and our defeat on that front was assured, the call for retreat was sounded. Most troops stayed to fight to the end regardless. One of the Wyvern Riders that stayed back was struck by a mage's Thunderbolt and went spiraling to the ground. The wyvern was still in flying shape, but her rider was on the brink of death and could only beg his wyvern to fly away lest she be killed too. The wyvern stubbornly stayed with its rider until Stitcher came close enough for the rider to call out to him. He pleaded with Stitcher to take the wyvern, named Sylph, and flee the battlefield. He came close to denying the man's request, but the desperation in the rider's eyes was enough to make Stitcher grant him his last request._

 _Returning to the capitol, Stitcher was the first to inform the Strategy Committee of what had transpired on our eastern front._

 _In the following battles, Stitcher distinguished himself as a valiant warrior, charging into battle atop his newly acquired wyvern. And as the general in charge of defending the king's fortress, I had had the pleasure of choosing an elite few from what remained of our army to assist me in my duty. We ultimately failed and I had assumed all of my comrades dead until this moment._

* * *

"I don't wanna call you a liar, but I'm pretty sure General Lund was a man." He said, scratching his head.

"I know, and it's a long story, but I promise you that I am General Lund. You have to believe me Stitcher." I was practically begging at this point. He could be my salvation from my execution. "But…come to think of it, how did you survive? And why are you a servant to the Hoshidan royals?"

He rubbed his chin slowly as he spoke next. "Well, it's a bit of a silly story, if I do say so myself. And probably not the kind I should be sharing with a random girl."

"But I'm not just a random girl!" I was getting frustrated. I knew who I was, and I knew who he was, so why couldn't he just believe me when I told him who I was? "I'm General Lund! I picked you to serve with me that dark day because I recognized that you had the talent we so desperately needed!"

"That's a pretty inspirin' speech, girly. But also info you could have gotten anywhere, so you're pretty far from convincin' me that you're the general." He shrugged. "I'd like to believe you, but you've got no proof. For all I know, you're another one of Ryoma's guys testin' my loyalty to Hoshido."

Stitcher would have been my one chance to get out of here, but if I couldn't convince him of my identity then I'd be put to the sword before too long. I had to think of something that only General Lund would know…think. Think!

In a flash of inspiration, I remembered the brief conversation he and I had had when I recruited him to work directly under me during the last stand.

"You can't read or write, and you told me that not many of your kind can simply because it's not necessarily needful for you to know!" I practically yelled in triumph.

His eyes opened just a little wider at my outburst. "Well, you're not wrong about that fact, and I suppose it's not exactly common knowledge, but it's also not really a secret either."

He crossed his arms, his eyes closing as he contemplated my words and the truth, or lack thereof, of them. He seemed to come to a decision, nodding to himself.

"It would be irresponsible of me to let you die if there's even a small chance that you are General Lund, so my course of action would be to keep you alive for long enough to find out if you're tellin' me the truth. And only for that long." The end of his declaration sounded a bit foreboding, but I'd take it. It was my chance.

Just as I was celebrating inside my head, a clapping sound rang out behind me, causing both of us to turn our attention to the source of the noise.

"Well done, Lillian. I was ready to jump in and vouch for you if need be, but it seems your competence has improved slightly."

"Varlent?!" Stitcher and I spoke at the same time, then looked at each other in confusion.

"How do you know him?" I asked Stitcher.

"He's the reason Sylph and I are alive right now. He also managed to pull some strings to get us into our position in Castle Shirasagi. But more importantly, why do you know him?"

"I died back on the battlefield in Sirene and he gave me a new body." I explained.

Stitcher quickly turned his attention to Varlent. "Then is it true? Is she really General Lund?"

Varlent threw his hands in a wide sweeping arc from above his head down to shoulder level. "Who knows for sure? Such secrets are not privy to the unenlightened or those of mortal descent. Our immediate attention is required on a different train of thought at this time, however.

"Princess Hinoka will be along shortly to collect you for your execution, Lillian. Before that time, I would ask you, Stitcher, to prepare your wyvern for flight."

"Aggh, fine. I guess I do owe you one after what you did for me and Sylph." He pointed at Varlent harshly. "But you'd better explain some things to me after I get us safely out of here."

"That all depends on how timely you are about getting out of here. I'm a busy individual, after all. I've no time to waste, not even a second." Varlent replied in a bored tone.

Stitcher clicked his tongue, his ears twitching in annoyance as he departed, leaving me alone with Varlent. He simply stared at me for a while, so I decided to start the conversation.

"By the way, Ryoma posted a guard outside my room. Won't he have heard us?"

"Of course he hears us. But where do you think his loyalty lies, hmm?" Varlent laughed at my confused expression. "Is it really so strange for me to have a network of spies inside the royal strongholds?"

"I…I guess it's not that strange, I'm just surprised mostly. Shouldn't the royals be screening their guards a little more thoroughly?"

"Bah! They did, once upon a time, but ever since the end of the war and the unification of the known world, they've grown lax and lazy. As an example, Ryoma would not stand and fight against the black armored man the other night. He grabbed you and ran instead. Now, does that sound like the Ryoma you knew from The Great War?"

He had a point. Ryoma was never one to back down from a fight, no matter what impossible odds he faced. And from what I had heard, he and Xander single-handedly crippled our vanguard, so one man couldn't have been too much of a problem for him.

"And that brings me to the main topic at hand." Varlent said. "What do you remember about the man in black armor?"

I thought back to that night. I couldn't remember much about him, given that I was in survival mode at the time. The only main thing I could recall was that he knew my name and claimed to have been a ruler of some kind.

"I…think he was a king or something, and he spoke to me as if he knew me well. He even knew my name." I answered.

"I see. Well, I suppose I can divulge a little bit of information, if only to put you at ease." He took a deep breath. "That man is immortal, or at least relatively so. I've clashed with him on several occasions during my travels and not a single time was I able to kill the poor dastard. I could strike him down, leave him bleeding out and unable to move, but he recovers in a matter of hours. Adding to what you already know, he was the first emperor of a long since fallen empire. Both his name and that of his empire are forgotten by all but a few individuals, and even fewer regard them as anything more than an old legend about a hero emperor."

I processed this new knowledge. It didn't tell me very much relevant information other than the fact that I couldn't kill him if I ever saw him again. But I did still have a question.

"So why did he know my name then? Is he all-knowing as well as immortal?"

"Let me answer your question with my own question: did you believe there was no meaning behind the name and body I gave you?" I could almost hear him smile behind that mask of his.

"I hadn't thought about it I guess, but…what does that mean? Did you model my body and name after someone he knew? And furthermore, why would you do such a thing? That man is mad already, so there could be no benefit to deceiving him in such a way."

"Aaaalll good questions, and questions that will be answered in due time. If you happen to encounter him again, be as comforting, kind, an compassionate as you can manage, and be genuine about it. He could use some compassion after all he's been through…" Varlent sounded genuinely sympathetic, something I never would have expected to hear in his voice.

Before I could reply, he disappeared into thin air, leaving me to consider his words and wonder what all of it meant for me. I hadn't even had an inkling that there was any significance to the way I looked and the name he'd given me, but it made perfect sense now that I was thinking about it. There was always a purpose behind everything that Varlent did, and my new life was no exception. It still bothered me that I didn't know exactly who the old man was, but at least I knew more about him than I did before, and hopefully I'd soon get answers to the rest of my questions.

"Hey, Sylph's ready to go now, and we'd better get hoppin'. It looks like they're just about ready for the afternoon festivities, if you catch my drift." Stitcher had returned while I was lost in thought. "And where'd that guy go? You know, the one with the mask."

"Oh, he left already. And I'll be ready to go in a second, just let me change first." I looked down at the clothes I didn't realize I'd been holding all this time.

"Alright, I'll be just outside waiting for you." He stepped back out through the door, allowing me a moment of privacy.

I changed as quick as I could, briefly noticing that the 'patching up' Stitcher had done was extremely well done. If one didn't look closely, you wouldn't even know it had been patched. I made a mental note to thank Stitcher once we were a safe distance away from Castle Shirasagi.

As expected, I found Stitcher waiting in the hall just outside my room, along with the samurai who was supposed to guard my room.

"Alright, let's get the heckles outta here already." Stitcher started down the left path of the hallway, and I made to follow him before a voice rang out behind us.

"Stop where you are!" I turned to see Hinoka standing at the opposite end of the hall with a very displeased look on her face.

She took three steps before my door guard sprang into action, drawing his katana, pointing it at Hinoka, and placing himself between the two of us.

"Stand down, soldier!" Hinoka's face had gone from displeased to angry very quick.

The samurai planted his feet more firmly than before, a look of determination on his face as he spoke. "Lillian, Stitcher, go now! I'll hold them off long enough for you to escape, but I don't expect to last very long. I beg you, help my Master achieve his dream. Go!"

With that final word, Stitcher and I sprinted down the hallway, hearing the sound of clashing steel behind us as we ran. Stitcher led me down and around to the stable, wherein the Pegasi were held. Down at the end of the stable was a large wyvern, crouched and ready to take off at a moment's notice. I started to slow down, intending to ask how I was supposed to climb onto the beast, but Stitcher easily picked me up and hoisted me on top of it, proceeding to easily clamber up himself. The reins snapped and the dragon crawled out the door and took flight. Just in time too, as I saw Hinoka run out the doors of the palace. This was where the next problem arose; Hinoka didn't stop, rather, she went straight for the stables and it wasn't long before her pegasus was in the air and hot on our tail.

"Can't this wyvern go any faster?!" I yelled, trying to make myself heard of the rushing wind.

"Sylph's goin' as fast as she can! If you're worried about the princess back there, then do somethin' about her!" Stitcher yelled back.

What could I possibly do though? I didn't have a bow or any kind of long range weapons. I was a sitting duck at this point, and Hinoka was catching up fast. I racked my brains, trying to think of a strategy for this situation. I'd been a general for crying out loud! So why couldn't I think of any useful tactics for such a scenario? I searched my pockets for anything that I could possibly throw at her in a desperate attempt to stop her, all I found was the curious dark stone that Varlent had given me on the first day of my new life. As before, it twisted and bent the light and air around, mixing its own darkness into them. Varlent had said it was important, but what could I possibly do with it if I died? I had just resolved to throw it at her when Stitcher piped up.

"Gah! You're useless, General! When did it fall to me to pull you out of a tight spot?"

He turned the wyvern around, holding the reins with one hand and retrieving the Steel Axe from his back. He held the axe out, ready to strike as soon as Hinoka was near enough, she saw what he was doing and readied her lance in response, but just as the collision would have happened, Stitcher tapped his wyvern's scales twice and pulled up on the reins. The wyvern responded and moved up slightly, causing Hinoka's lance to crash uselessly against the dragon's scales. Hinoka's following moment of surprise gave the wyvern it's chance, which it greedily took; its head snaked around and sharp teeth clamped down on the pegasus. The pegasus let out a cry of extreme agony as it struggled against the stronger flyer. Its rider shared the same panic as she tried to stab at the wyvern's eyes, only to be blocked by Stitcher's axe every time.

"I don't think so, princess. We've got things to do and we don't need you chasin' us. Pity about the pegasus, but you only have yourself to blame for it." He smirked smugly.

Hinoka glared at the both of us with tears in her eyes. "I swear that neither of you will live to see your evil designs fulfilled. Kamui and Corrin won't stand for such things to come to pass."

"Right, right, whatever you say." Stitcher tapped the wyverns neck once and the iron grip of its jaws released the pegasus.

It began falling slowly at first, its one functioning wing flapping to try and stay in the air, but it was a fruitless effort. It fell fast into the trees below us. Stitcher put his axe away and kept on the course we'd been flying before.

I felt so…powerless. Not only had I been captured, but then I had to be rescued, and I couldn't even fight off our pursuers. The lone samurai had kept Hinoka busy for a moment, and Stitcher had dealt with Hinoka in the air, and what I had done? I was dead weight, that's what. I don't know what Varlent expected of me, but I was sure that I wasn't meeting any of his expectations right now.

I held on tight and stayed silent as we flew, which seemed to suit Stitcher just fine. It was hard to talk while flying anyway.

* * *

 **Edit: Did a good bit of revision and editing in this chapter. I didn't feel like it was very good before, and I still don't feel like it's excellent, but it's much better than it was before. I don't like to make promises, but the next chapter should be up within a couple of days or so.**

 **A/N: AHHHH! Late chapter! So sorry! I can apologize via seppuku if you guys would like. I'd also like to apologize for the quality of this chapter, because I feel like it was really lacking something, but no matter how many times I rewrote it, I just couldn't figure out what I was missing. This version suited me best as far as what I felt the story needed and how things should progress, but I dunno. It still feels kinda weak.**

 **In any case, I'd like to thank Consort for the wonderful OC Stitcher. He's a really interestingly built OC that I'm a really big fan of. So, big round of applause, please! *Clap clap clap***

 **OC submissions will be closed once the next chapter comes out, so if you want to submit one, do it quickly. The OC template can be found at the end of chapter one.**

 **Thank you all for reading and supporting this story even if I do deliver chapters super late for almost no explicable reason.**

 **Until next time! Farvel!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

* * *

Stitcher managed to put a sizable distance between us and Castle Shirasagi before coming down to land. The wyvern touched down more gently than I had expected it to, with the last flaps of its wings causing the grass around us to sway.

Stitcher hopped off the wyvern and held his hand out to me, offering to help me down. I took his hand and jumped, landing on my feet a little unsteadily. I still felt kinda useless after everything that had happened, but I'd have to push past that for now; not everything could go exactly as I wanted it to.

"So, General Lund, mind lettin' me in on why you're a girl these days?" Stitcher asked, sitting down next to his wyvern. "You said it was a long story, didn't you?"

"Well, yeah, but since you apparently already know Varlent, it makes the story a lot shorter. In fact, what happened to me isn't so different from what happened to you; I was dying back in Sirene, Varlent found me and healed my wounds. Only…my old body must have been in pretty dire straits, because Varlent ended up placing my consciousness into this body." I shuffled nervously. Even if Stitcher had met Varlent, my explanation sounded ridiculous, even to me.

Stitcher nodded his head slowly. "Riiiight. Honestly, I don't believe you for a second. The whole thing sounds like a fairytale to me." I felt a little defeated. "And if it weren't for the fact that you know Varlent, I'd have gift wrapped you and already been on my way to drop you off back at Shirasagi. As things are though, I can't do that since Varlent seems to be pretty intent on keepin' you safe."

He closed his eyes and laid his head back against the dragon sitting peacefully nearby.

"Whatever though, at least I got myself outta that fancy castle. Maybe I'll head back home…" He mused.

I cleared my throat. "Well, now that I've shared my story, care to explain to me how you got into Castle Shirasagi in the first place? Not to mention becoming a servant trusted enough to get anywhere near a prisoner." I said in a rather pushy tone.

He sighed much longer and louder than was necessary. "Not much to it, not that I know much about what went on, but all I know is that Varlent 'pulled some strings' for me, but when I asked some of the other servants, and even the royals about Varlent, none of them had the faintest idea who I was talking about. Strange, isn't it? And even stranger is the fact that they all acted like I'd been there for quite some time." The tone in his voice told me that even if he acted like he wasn't curious about the circumstances, deep down he wanted to know who Varlent was and what exactly the extent of his influence was. "Not that it matters much now, though."

He wasn't wrong. The strings that Varlent had pulled for Stitcher were all for naught now, but something inside me told me that Stitcher and I hadn't met by accident, and that there were much larger strings that Varlent was manipulating completely unbeknownst to most everyone. I was getting more curious about Varlent with each and every encounter I had with him; I knew nothing of his machinations or why he wanted to overthrow the Three Kingdoms so desperately that he would save a few corpses that had already lost to them once. Not that I was complaining though; if it weren't for Varlent, I would have been lost to the abyssal void called death.

I stared at Stitcher as he rested against the slumbering beast. Things were set up so that we'd meet up again, that much I was certain of, and if I could get Stitcher to fight with me like back in the war then I'd feel that much more hopeful about my chances of actually beating Corrin and Kamui.

"Stitcher."

"Eh?"

"I know you don't entirely believe that I am who I say I am, but all the same, I'd like to ask if you'd fight by my side again. We failed to protect Sirene, but I hope I can count on you to help me avenge it…please." I tried to use the same tone I had when I was obligated to give speeches to improve morale amongst the Sirenian army. I wasn't sure how well I could replicate that now though.

Stitcher cracked an eye open to look at me as he pondered my words.

"Fine." He rolled his shoulders as he stood up. "I see no harm in stickin' around, I s'pose. Wouldn't want Sylph here to get fat n' lazy anyway." He stroked the wyvern's head, a small smile on his face. He turned his head to look at me again. "But first you have to tell me the plan. I'm not in the mood to go dyin' on a suicide mission."

"The…the plan?" Truthfully, I didn't have a plan. I never did. Even as a general, I usually left all the planning to my tactician and I simply carried out the plans that he made. "Um, well, I uh…I guess I…don't have one?" I answered with a sheepish grin and a chuckle.

"If you're gonna avenge Sirene then you should probably come up with some semblance of a plan, don't ya think?" The condescension in his voice was thick.

"R-right, well, let's see…" I stood in silence for a few minutes as I tried fruitlessly to come up something that would resemble a plan. "Alright, we'll-" I was cut short by the sounds of footsteps and someone yelling.

"Lillian! Lillian, is that you?" The voice belonged to Iago. He came rushing through the trees, stopping just short of me.

"Iago!? Where…? How did you find me?" I asked. It seemed a bit too much to think that he had happened upon Stitcher and I by chance out here.

"I…we…agh. One moment." Iago was severely out of breath, making it clear that he'd run a long ways. Eventually, he caught his breath and tried to speak once more. "Rin said she saw you get hauled off by Ryoma the other night, so we started making plans to rescue you from Castle Shirasagi, only…just as we were about to make our move, we saw a wyvern flying away from the capitol followed closely by a pegasus. It seemed probable that you were atop the wyvern, and if not, then we could always make our rescue attempt later."

Upon finishing his rushed explanation of things, Iago took another deep breath; he was still attempting to recover his breath from running before. It was clear he wasn't the most athletic individual.

"A-alright, but…where's Rin then?" I asked inquisitively.

"What do you mean? She's…" Iago seemed to notice for the first time that she wasn't there. "She…must have fallen behind me at some point. But no matter, I'm sure she'll catch up eventually." He seemed completely unconcerned that she could be lost and wandering the forest aimlessly.

I hadn't noticed before, but Stitcher was standing with his axe at the ready, his eyes locked onto Iago, who seemed to have already noticed earlier but was only now addressing the situation.

"I'm grateful that you assisted Lillian in her escape from Shirasagi, but I'd appreciate it if you stopped glaring with such disdain." Iago's eyes took on the same steely quality I had seen the first time we met.

"I guess you don't remember me, huh? Well, I remember you all too well, you monster." Stitcher snarled.

My eyes darted between the two of them as I tried to understand what was happening. Iago's brow furrowed as he studied Stitcher's face for some kind of clue.

"You're going to have to throw me a bone here, mutt. My memories have been a little fuzzy as of late." Iago's personality was getting colder by the second.

"Tch, fine then. Twelve years ago, a group of Wolfskin came to Castle Krakenburg to negotiate a contract with the Nohrian king. I was young, but I tagged along because my dad was goin'. But we never even saw the king, we had to negotiate with you, and it was less of a negotiation than it was you threatening us into bowin' down…ring a bell yet?" Stitcher looked ready to pounce at any moment, his lips turned up in a snarl.

Iago's expression was unreadable. I couldn't tell if he knew what Stitcher was talking about or not. That aside though, if Stitcher's story was to be believed, then Iago had been the stand-in for Nohr's king, which had to have been Garon at the time since Stitcher said it was twelve years ago. Being in such a position of authority would certainly make some enemies. No wonder the royals want to get their hands on him.

"There certainly is a bell ringing. However, as much as you may like to hold grudges for a later time, I've rather moved past my previous life decisions. I suggest you move on from the past as well…before it consumes you, mutt." Iago stared the Wolfskin down, his eyes never breaking contact with the other.

I could see both of them trying their best to discreetly ready their weapons and decided that was my cue to step in and defuse the situation. Stepping between them, I addressed Stitcher first.

"Stitcher, please calm down! You may not think favorably of Iago, but I swear that he's not the man you once knew him to be. He's changed in more ways then you're aware of right now. You don't have to trust him, just trust me for the time being." I turned to face Iago. "And you, Iago, I'm sure you're logical enough to know that a fight between the two of you would serve no purpose except to give the Hoshidans a good idea of where we are, and now is not the time to fight them."

The two men slowly backed down, eyeing the other for any sign of a surprise attack. Stitcher shrugged and sat back down next to his wyvern, settling into a comfortable position once more.

"I'll tolerate him for now, but if he steps out of line, even a little, I won't hesitate to put him back in his place."

"I could say the same." Iago snapped.

I could only hope that they'd work out their differences sooner or later, otherwise this campaign would be unbearable to everyone involved.

"Alright, now that that's settled, we should probably get a move on. The Hoshidans will be coming after us as quickly as they can and we don't want to be here when the full force of their army comes marching through." I was desperate to get us on a different subject.

"We should probably wait for the slow wench to catch up, don't you think?" Iago asked.

"Slow wench?" I was confused only for a moment. "Oh, right, you mean Rin. She must have been pretty far behind if she hasn't caught up to us by now…"

"Probably stopped to enjoy the scenery along the way, completely oblivious to the danger we're in." Iago rolled his eyes. "I still think we should have left her behind. Thus far, she's done nothing but prove a nuisance to our party."

"I can't imagine she's more of a nuisance than you." Stitcher mumbled, drawing Iago's attention.

"You'd do well to keep your tongue behind your teeth, lest I remove it from your mouth altogether." Iago sneered.

I could do nothing but sigh to myself. It didn't appear they were going to try resolving anything anytime soon.

"I'm gonna go scout the surrounding area. You guys wait here in case Rin comes." I walked off, crossing my fingers that they wouldn't end up fighting, but even if they did, at least something might get resolved that way.

The surrounding forest was dense and had an air of unfamiliarity to it. The fullness of the trees was a far cry from the dead and seemingly decaying trees of Sirene. It made me wonder what could cause such a stark contrast from one country to another, the most likely explanation would have been the lack of sunlight in Sirene and the fact that Hoshido bordered the ocean, but it felt like there was more to it than that given that certain parts of Sirene also bordered an ocean, and if you went west far enough, consistent sunlight could be found shining on the land. It was a mystery to be sure, but not one I felt I needed to concern myself with. The current concern was wondering if there would be any Hoshidan lackeys skulking around in the woods looking for us, and just as luck would have it, there were.

There was only one that I could see, and his back was turned to me. He didn't know I was here yet and that was going to be my chance to deal with him quickly. I crept up behind him as quietly as I could, drawing my rapier slowly.

"I know you're behind me." He whispered quietly. "And I'm willing to bet you're not a friend, but please for the sake of all that is holy, stop moving. You'll attract unwanted attention."

I stopped where I was. This had to be some kind of a trick, but I stopped anyway. I scanned the forest wondering what he could have been talking about. I saw nothing, proving to myself that he must have been trying to trick me. I lunged forward, piercing right through leather armor and into his heart. He spluttered for a moment before collapsing.

"Perhaps…it is…better this way." And then silence.

I sheathed my sword, preparing to run back to tell the others we needed to move out now. I took three steps before a deep fear gripped me, I knew not where the fear was coming from or what was causing it, but it felt as though all that was good had come to an end and I would be left to wallow in the darkness, trying to feel around for any means of escape at all.

"Now isn't this interesting. You've got _his_ scent about you. Very interesting indeed." Something was moving around on the edges of my vision, but for the life of me I couldn't turn to look at it. "Would you kindly tell me where _he_ is?"

"I…I…D-d-d…" This was not something natural that I was dealing with. My body must have instinctively known the danger it was in and froze up.

"Tsk tsk tsk. Too scared to speak? Understandable really, your kind are so fragile, and so easily frightened…and yet…humans somehow possess a greater power than even the gods themselves." The entity was silent for a moment. Its voice reappeared right next to my ear. "But I am no mere god."

It laughed, it's voice moving away from me a short distance. I was struggling, trying to move even an inch. The further I could get from this…this thing, the better off I would be.

"You still can't move? Haha, I apologize for the inconvenience." All at once I could move and breather freely again. I whipped around, hoping to get a glimpse of the terror that had afflicted me. It was the Hoshidan I had slain, he stood before me, a wicked smile playing on his lips as he watched with amusement.

"B-but I…I killed you. I know I did." The confusion in my voice was evident.

"So you did. The Hoshidan is dead, yes. His heart has stopped, his mind no longer functions, he's nothing more than a corpse at this point." He said. "Although now he's a reanimated corpse, so it may be more accurate to say he's a revenant."

"A revenant?" I'd only heard of such creatures in myth and legend. They had afflicted many of the heroes of yore, and could only be raised by a necromancer.

"Mm, you're beginning to bore me. The only reason I haven't done away with you is because you're involved with _him_."

"I-I'm sorry, but I don't know who you mean or where they are." I started stepping backwards away from this thing.

"I know you don't, and I didn't expect you to, but it doesn't change the fact that you're my first lead on him in a very long time. Now…" The powerful aura of fear was back. "How about we have a chat about _him_? About…Varlent."

* * *

 _ **(Iago's POV)**_

Rin had found us not minutes after Lillian left to survey our surroundings.

"It's about time you got here! What took you so long?" I snapped.

"Aww, come on. Don't be like that. I saw these really pretty flowers and I just had to take a closer look."

It was exactly as I had suspected. No sense of urgency at all. I was almost ready to throttle her myself, and without Lillian around it would be that much easier.

"Hey, lady." Stitcher chimed in.

"Hm?" She looked over at him. "Who are you?"

"I'm Stitcher, but…" He was cut off.

"I'm Rin, nice to meet you." Her tone was sickeningly sweet.

"Right. Anyway, what I was tryin' to say is that now's not the time to be pickin' daisies in some grassy field."

"They weren't daisies though, so…"

"You're missin' the point, lady. We're being hunted by the Hoshidans right now, all four of us, and once word gets around to the Vallite royals, then we'll have three kingdoms chasin' us all at once." He took a deep breath. "My point is that if you get caught, we're likely not comin' back for you."

He stared her down. She seemed more than a little taken aback by his statement.

"I-I see." Her eyes were downcast. Maybe Stitcher wasn't so bad after all.

I took a look around. Normally Lillian would have come back before too long as I suspected it was less of a need to survey and more of a need to step away from the tension of the situation. We waited for her to come back, but in the end, we unanimously decided to go looking for her. Rin was still looking a little down, but that was fine by me; anything to keep her mouth shut. And that mutt, Stitcher I believe was his name, was forced to drag his pet through the woods instead of flying overhead, making him loud and slow. This left me as the only competent member of our group, although that was the case in almost any given situation anyway.

It wasn't long before we found her. She had collapsed not too far from us, but what was worrying was the dead Hoshidan soldier being hacked to pieces by a man with a very large axe. He turned towards us.

"He was here…he was here…he was here…he was here. The beast…was here!" There was a wild look in his eyes that told me he was extremely unstable, and likely had been for some time.

I raised my arms in a non-threatening manner. "We're just going to take our friend, and be on our way, okay?" I said as I slowly approached Lillian.

I could see the gears in his head turning as he tried processing what had been said.

"N-no…don't take…Lillian. N-not…again." The man pleaded, his axe falling to his side as his eyes filled with tears.

I halted my advance, not quite knowing what to do in such a situation. An unstable man with a very large axe was asking me not to take Lillian from him, meanwhile, said woman laid on the ground completely devoid of consciousness.

Using magic, I could more than likely knock this guy aside in a matter of moments, and yet…something held me back. Logically speaking, I would have been able to fry this guy, but somewhere deep down I knew things wouldn't be that easy. It was time to switch gears and try a different tactic.

"It's alright. We just want to help you and Lillian both. That's all." I said in a gentle tone.

"H-help…me?" He was confused once again. I gave him time to think through it. "You will…help me…destroy the beast?"

For the first time, I saw the light of hope in his eyes. He was genuinely hopeful that we would be able to help him find and kill this 'beast' he had mentioned. I felt a little sheepish doing so, but I needed to deceive him.

"That's right. We'll split up with you here so we can cover more ground and look for the beast. In addition, we'll also take care of Lillian for you while you're away."

He looked at Lillian, still unconscious on the forest floor, and took extra time to formulate his response.

"You promise?" He asked simply.

"Of course. I swear to you that we will." I smiled for extra effect.

His brow furrowed and he nodded, as if confirming something to himself. After strapping his axe to his back, he gingerly lifted Lillian off the ground and approached me, holding her out for me to take.

"I couldn't…protect her. I failed her…once already. Please…treat her well…as if she were your own daughter."

There was a very deep sense of melancholy that could be felt in his words. It was obvious that someone close to him had resembled her, and coincidentally shared her name, and that he had a deep set regret about whatever had happened to them.

I took Lillian from him and he gave me one last nod before turning his back and departing into the woods to pursue this beast.

"So, who was he?" Rin asked nonchalantly.

"Listen, lady. We don't know who he is any more than you do, so just pipe down and feel out the room a little, yeah?" Stitcher spoke before I could.

I smiled a little. Maybe Stitcher and I could get along on some level after all.

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 **A/N: Late chapter. Sorry again guys, I had hoped to get back into the groove and start updating normally, but I needed to start taking extra hours at work and then I just kinda lost the drive to do anything besides work and sleep, so I'm sorry about that. However, because I've neglected this story, I'll be doing a double update. The next chapter should already be up by now.**

 **In any case, since it's been a while since I've written, I don't expect that this chapter is very good. Let me know how it is, either through review or PM. I'm gonna need some solid feedback and constructive criticism after such a long hiatus. I feel like my writing isn't as good as it used to be, but I'll leave the judging up to you guys.**

 **Also, I'm thinking of starting a second fanfic as well, but the two problems I have with that are that I don't know if I could juggle two at the same time, and I'd kind of like someone to collaborate with on it as I've found that having two people work on a project makes things much more varied and interesting for the reader.**

 **Thank you for reading, and please continue to read and enjoy this story!**

 **Farvel!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

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A man sat alone in a darkened chamber, his face twisted into an expression of absolute rage. He rifled through stacks of papers, books, and all manner of ancient texts, looking for a way to recover his lost beloved. In their youth, she had died and been resurrected through strange circumstances, and through those same circumstances, he had obtained immense power. Ever since her return from the dead, she had never been quite the same; she acted the same, spoke the same way, and retained all her memories, but still she seemed…empty. Like a light within her had been extinguished, but still he had loved her. But now she had been stolen from him; chosen as a vessel for a goddess.

In his anger, he began searching for a way to exorcize a god from the body of a mortal, but his research had been fruitless, bearing not even a single hint as to how he could go about completing this monumental task. But even so, he continued to search through the same tomes, hoping to find something he'd overlooked.

"Fie! I've searched for weeks, and what do I get? Nothing! Not a single thing worth my time!" He sat back in his chair, a heavy sigh escaping his lips as he ran a hand through his ragged hair. "What else can I do? I've done all that I possibly could, and still I've come up short…"

He gazed around the room he was in, staring blankly at the symbols and etchings scattered across the floor and walls. They had seemed so mysterious to him as a young boy, but now he knew them to be nothing more than religious text about some god that had been worshipped in these ruins long ago. He chuckled at the idea, thinking that this 'god' could only have been a mere dragon. If there was anything that history had taught him, it was that mankind had always placed its faith in dragons, revering them as gods simply because they held power beyond anything else that mankind knew of. In fact, the goddess that his beloved was to be a vessel for was more than likely a dragon as well. The thought made him sick; dragons were despicable creatures of greed that preyed upon the imbecilic naivete of humans, and now his love was to be a host for one of those parasitic lizards. And here he sat, unable to do anything about it.

He looked at his hands, considering the great power he'd attained as a child. Surely, he hadn't unlocked the full potential of his abilities, seeing as thus far he only achieved a level similar to the great sages and sorcerers of the capitol city, and having been content with that, had made no further attempts at expanding his magical talents. Perhaps…perhaps if he were to learn more he might find a way to save his wife. But how could he learn more if he had already reached what was accepted as the highest level of sorcery?

"Pardon me, but I couldn't help noticing your plight, and I was wondering if you might allow me a moment of your time."

The man shot up from his chair, his eyes darting to and fro to find whoever had intruded into his most personal sanctum. What stood before him was…decidedly not a man; it seemed to be a pitch-black ooze that held a humanoid form, a single eye set on its side sat in the left half of the creature's face, and a wide, toothy grin stretched all the way across the thing's abominable face.

"W-what are you?" The man attempted to keep his voice even, but it didn't matter; the creature knew he was startled and afraid.

"I am, or was, the patron 'god' of this temple you've taken up residence in." It gestured to the ruins around them, dripping black liquid on the floor. "Meaning that I'm no longer relevant anymore, as you can clearly tell. But I'm not here to talk about me, I'm here to help you."

It stepped closer to the man slowly, causing him to step backwards, nearly tripping as he ran into his desk.

"Why would you want to help me? There's nothing in it for you. Besides, what kind of influence could a god like you still have anyway? You're nothing more than a forgotten shadow." The man was starting to feel a little bolder.

"Hahaha, well, you do have a point. However…" It continued towards him. "The fact of the matter is that you already possess a great deal of my own power, I simply wish to give you the fraction that you do not have."

"Your power?" He was confused. "But I received this power-" He was cut off.

"Yes, I know. That old dragon gifted it to you, just as it was gifted to him, and to all those who came before him. My power has survived for a long time by being passed down to those who could potentially become my heir. As is probably clear, none were worthy, and so it has continued to be passed on and on for centuries. But now…" The creature stood so close that the man could practically feel the viscous blackness of its body. "I have selected you to be my heir, to continue the fight in my stead and steal victory from our enemies."

"Why…why me? And what enemies? I have no clue what any of this means!"

"And that's fine. You'll learn in due time, for I will teach you all that you need to know."

"You still haven't told me what's in this for you? Why is it so important for you to have an heir?"

The creature stepped back from the man. "To see my greatest enemy fall, I would do anything. But as I am, I have no hope of defeating such a being. Which is why I wish to pass my power and knowledge on to you. Ah, yes, and with my help, you'll be able to save the woman you love, for my enemy is the goddess which now resides within her." It smiled wider. "Do we have an agreement?"

The man's mind was whirling. Taking this thing's deal was reckless. Every word it spoke was not to be trusted, and every promise it had made seemed dubious. But…it had offered a solution to the very problem he had been agonizing over. And honestly, he would have preferred to die than pass up an opportunity to save Aria.

"I…Yes, we have an agreement."

"Excellent. Now allow me to impart the remainder of my soul to you."

"Your soul? But…"

"Yes, my soul. It's the source of all my power; they are inseparable. I'm afraid this also means you'll be receiving my memories, all of my knowledge, and even my personality. But worry not, they all should meld with your own. You won't even notice the difference."

Without another word, the creature leapt forward and onto the man, the ooze that was its body melting and sinking into the man's body. His blood turned black, his skin a dark shade of purple, and his hair a bright and silvery white. He doubled over in pain, his entire being screaming in agony as it attempted to assimilate this foreign entity. Soon the pain passed and he was allowed some much needed respite. It was strange, now that he had a moment to think about it, he found the thought odd that he was both the human he had been, but also the creature as well. His new memories extended back further than he previously would have thought possible; back to the creation of this land and the first humans to live on it. His head hurt trying to recall everything all at once, so he instead turned his attention to his body. He felt…stronger, not necessarily in terms of physical strength, but more like he knew he could endure far more. He would have to look through his memories to find exactly how durable he was. By surveying his physical appearance, it was obvious how he had changed: His skin was a dark purple shade, and seemed to be scaled to some degree, although cracks in his skin could be seen radiating a faint orange light from within. His fingers now ended in small claws, and he could feel a newfound sharpness to the majority of his teeth.

Initially, his main concern was trying to mingle with humans while looking like this, but after carefully digging through some memories, he found that he would be able to disguise himself; changing his appearance in the eyes of said humans, although the risk involved with that was that it was only an illusion, and if a human possessed high enough intelligence and magic training, they'd be able to spot his illusion given the chance. He'd have to take the risk for now and figure out a better way of hiding his appearance in the meantime.

He smirked. With this, he now had all he needed to save Aria. This great gift and blessing would not be wasted. He would bring her back and destroy that accursed goddess in one fell swoop. He would no longer lose to such petty 'gods' and their designs.

As he left the ruined temple, he thought about how much more this place meant to him now. The temple's patron god wasn't a dragon after all, but rather a much older creature that was truly worthy of praise and worship. He stopped at the entrance, looking over the dilapidated, broken, and pathetic sight before him. He would repair eventually, after all, it held much greater importance than any human had ever known. But for now, god slaying was the next task on his list.

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 **A/N: I'll have you know, I wrote and rewrote this chapter literally seven times before I was content with the version you've just read. Now, in case you're confused about this chapter's relevance to the story, it's related to chapter four, which was also an odd and off topic kind of chapter.**

 **As usual, please give me some feedback through either review or PM, because after not writing for so long, I could definitely use some constructive criticism.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Farvel!**


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